*Gov Shettima*
Youth restiveness is a major problem confronting the government of the most populous black nation in the world. From the Bayelsa creeks to the Sahel regions of Sokoto through Zamfara to Borno,the recurrent decimal is youth unemployment with its resultant side-effects; hunger, banditry, kidnapping and insurgency .The danger is not lost on the outgoing Borno executive Governor, Kashim Shettima who is scared stiff of the likely scenario in years to come.
In Nigeria, most of the states recognize the role of the youth in agriculture. In particular, the governors have jointly committed to creating job opportunities for at least 50 percent of youth in agricultural value chains as espoused through the Malabo Declaration because ‘’we know that in say 2050,our country will be among the top six most populous country in the world.By that time too,70% of the Nigerian population may be living in the northern territory. The poverty index in Northern Nigeria is really frightening and it’s poorer than Chad and Niger Republic. f we don’t want to drag the nation down or risk a social upheaval, we must face education and agriculture squarely’’ the Borno Governor said.
Continuing Shettima said there is an incestuous relationship between poverty and violence which explains what is currently going on in the northern part of the country.’’If the north taps into their unique selling points, we can address this problem in a record time. Borno, for example is bigger than Cameroon.It is twenty times the size of Lagos, fourteen times the size of Abia. The north has the land and the population which are key factors for agricultural revolution. With agriculture we can take 50% of the youths out of crime and that is what we are doing presently in Borno state’’ he declared.
The Governor assured that his administration will boost Borno’s economic potentials through agriculture which he said is part of the government’s response to destructions of livelihoods by Boko Haram insurgents across the state. Shettima who spoke while showing this writer round the Borno Green House, a computerized net house, measuring 53,000 square meters, the largest in sub Saharan Africa said the Green House possesses a dual operation drip irrigation process, a factory for production and fabrication of drip line, as well as emitters to ease maintenance and operation of drip systems and long term sustainability of the project.
Ibrahim Ali, Honourary Adviser on Agriculture explained that the net house, now operational “ is to be operated and driven by instruments of sustainability – a closed loop system that ensures sustainability of crop production within the net house.”
*Ibrahim Ali*
“It also consists of a tomato processing plant where waste will be reduced and the effect of seasonal glut on tomato price fluctuations completely eliminated, adding value to the product (tomato).
“The net-house will generate employment and income for the state, boost tomato production, and significantly contribute towards tomato paste import substitution in Nigeria.
“It will also be used to produce seedlings, grow young plants, other food crops, sea foods, trees for reforestation, ornamental trees and many others for the betterment of the populace.”
There has been a real upsurge in agriculture in Borno State after the military dislodged Boko Haram fighters from all 27 local government areas. The state has registered 18,000 farmers to cultivate rice on 18,000 hectares of land in preparation for this year’s planting season.
There are newly acquired tractors, mills, threshers, planters and harvesters for rice planting were kept. Under the programme, each farmer will cultivate an average of one hectare of land. Farming output was drastically reduced while the insurgency disrupted economic activities in the region.
It was gathered that before the crisis, the state had available for cultivation, 67,000 hectares of land in the Chad Basin Authority, the largest in West Africa, for the production of rice and wheat. The basin was severely hampered by the crisis as farmers scampered from Boko Haram bandits, who also burned farm settlements.
“I am amused when I get hints that Kebbi, Zamfara and Ebonyi are the largest rice producing states in the country. If not for the insurgency, there is no state in the federation, including the whole of West Africa that can match Borno in rice production,” the Agriculture Commissioner said.
Rice is majorly cultivated in Marte, Mongonu, Kukawa, Kala Balge and Ngala in the northern district. It is also grown in Jere, Maiduguri Municipal Centre, Konduga and in the southern district of Shani, Bayo, Biu, and Hawul.
The Agriculture Commissioner said before the insurgency, the state government in 2011 procured 31,000 brand new tractors fan track, 1,000 tractors, 1,600 planters, 50 harvesters and 600 rice mills. The combined number of harvesters nationally is 45.
“We also have some threshers, air-baler, combined harvesters and cultivators in preparation for our post insurgency programme. About 80 per cent of our population is agriculture-based. We make them to form cooperative societies and to complete the entire value chain. We prepare the land, provide the machineries, cultivation implements and the entire input that are required and at the end of the day we have a processing machine.”
He lauded Governor Shettima for his foresight, by procuring more than 10,000 farming units of irrigation materials, brought into the state in 750 containers.
In addition, Borno is promoting drip irrigation which allows water to be conserved at its premier centre in Maduguri.
The advanced farming technology, according to the honorary adviser to the governor on special project, Ibrahim Ali, allows for two farming seasons and production of about 3,000 tons of tomato.Existing beside this is a seedling protecting centre that can produce tomato, pepper and any seedling. It has a capacity to produce eight million seedlings per month, ready to plant.
With skill training for workers to operate the net house, the project will create more job opportunities in the value chain – production, maintenance, packaging, transportation and marketing and solar panel fabrication plant for sustainable uninterrupted power supply.