The choice of Chief Audu innocent Ogbeh as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to many Nigerians was astep in the right direction.

Infact, many see him as the round peg in a round hole because of his background as an agriculturist.
Many looked at him from on his antecedent as a man of his words, visionary leader with exemplary leadership qualities and came to the conclusion that things would start working.

Some Nigerians may have however started questions like what is the direction for the agricultural sector?, Yes, people need information for various purposes, after all, information they say is power, correct information brings clear thinking and clear thinking helps the people to make sound judgments.

Like Joel Barker once said “Vision without action is merely a dream but when vision is translated into action, the society changes for better”. To some experts, now that the agricultural sector has become the major focus and now one of the mainstays of the economy of Nigeria, good vision and action would be needed in driving the sector to achieve a desired result. Really, it takes time to build but it takes minutes to destroy. That is why Nigerians must be patient with the minister to avoid the mistakes of the past.

I have heard discussions like what has he been doing in the past few months?. However, the truth of the matter should not be far –fetched, the minister needs to build partnerships, engage stakeholders, attract investors and seek for assistance both at home and abroad. The agricultural sector is seen as the only sector that could guarantee employment to the youths, boost food production, provide solutions on the crisis between the herdsmen and the farmers, get quality seeds for better yields, help in bringing life back to the rural poor and earn foreign exchange for the country. All these require some time for planning and Nigerians must be patient enough to let them happen.

The roadmap of the agricultural sector is being perfected by a Technical Team set up by the minister and in no distant time, the document would become a public document for Nigerians to know the direction of the Present Administration in the agricultural sector.

Meanwhile, the Honourable Minister has disclosed that to reduce the level of Youth Unemployment in Nigeria,, the ministry plans to empower 740,000 market oriented young agricultural producers in the rural areas under the YEAP programme. He has been so passionate about the plight of the youths that he warned on the dangers of not engaging the youths saying, “we need to take care of the youths before they take care of us”.

It is worthy of mention that a Chinese Company, Hellog Jiang Pingyuan Rice company, wants to invest about US$300 Million in a proposed Rice investment project in Nigeria. It is equally a welcome development to note that the Department of International Development (DFID) has also proposed to invest about 30 million pounds in the climate change programme in Nigeria, with a promise to also provide financial assistance to the rural communities. These are results of the minister’s consultations and contacts

The Federal Government is working closely with the State Governments to create dams and deep wells to have an all year round season farming with a view to boosting food production in Nigeria. The synergy between the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the Agriculture Ministry to reactivate the over 300 dams means that food will soon be surplus.

There is no doubt in the understanding the minister has shown in the agricultural sector. Speaking at the recent National Council on Agriculture in Kano, hesaid, “To fix agriculture and the economy, we need to harness the good policies we meet on the table and blend with those that we are fashioning out in a coherent and consistent manner to instill confidence in the citizens, investors, market operators, farmers, Traders and everyone along the various agricultural value chains”. A campaigner of 5% interest rates on bank loans to farmers, he is determined to make agriculture attractive and profitable to all.

The ministry is embarking on ambitious programme of dairy production by using both the local breeds and improved cross breeds to produce high volume of milk and beef for a better nutrition. Apart from this, the Present Administration equally plans to embark on tree planting programme , where three million each of cashew and cocoa trees would be planted annually to mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture, as well as contribute to the country’s foreign exchange. Considering the proposed 200 million dollars funding for the expansion of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) through the Staple Crops Processing Zones, it is very clear that better time is ahead for Nigeria.

Nigerians should just be patient to see how the Labour Intensive Farming Enterprise (LIFE) programme of the minister would transform the rural economy and boost the economy and ensure inclusive growth in the rural areas that has been neglected for too long. There cannot be growth in a crisis situation, hence, the frequent crises between the Herdsmen and the farmers should be a sort of concern to the people. This has necessitated the minister’s plan to grow grass and establish grazing grounds to minimize and reduce the movement of cattles across the nation. According to the minister, over 5000 jobs would be created within the six months of the grass growing programme.

Like the Minister once said, “Agriculture is Nigeria’s past, and in agriculture is Nigeria’s future”. Nigerians should give the minister a chance. He needs our encouragement and support at this critical time to unlock the potentials in the agricultural sector for our common good.
By Samson Makanju