By Gabriel Ewepu

THE All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Chapter, Friday, demanded the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, National President, AFAN, and other relevant authorities to investigate alleged diversion of farm inputs at the in Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security suited in Gwagwalada, FCT-Abuja.

The alarm was raised in a statement signed by the Chairperson, AFAN, FCT Chapter, Perpetual Nkechi, where a Director in charge was accused of not following the directive of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen Abubakar Kyari, on a letter directing the officer to work with the FCT AFAN Chapter to conduct monitoring of the distribution of the farm inputs to farmers across the FCT, which was submitted to him.

According to the FCT AFAN Chapter Chairperson, Nkechi, the director refused to work with the farmers’ body as directed by the Minister, which she alleged that the director claimed that another FCT AFAN Chapter Chairman has taken over the distribution of the farm inputs, and he refused to disclosed the name and contact of the so-called Chairman of FCT AFAN Chapter.

She said, the Association sensed a diversion of the farm inputs meant for farmers in the FCT, hence their call for thorough investigation by relevant authorities into the claims of the director.

The statement reads in full: “We the leadership of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), FCT Chapter wishes to call on all the relevant authorities to investigate what is happening in Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security suited in Gwagwalada FCT-Abuja.

“It is with dismay we are calling for the investigation based on a letter with subject ‘Letter of Nomination  as Member of the National Working Committee for the implementation of National Agricultural Growth  Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP)Programme’, which was in the recognition of AFAN’s contribution to the agricultural sector, which was officially signed and approved by the Honourable Minister of  Agriculture and Food Security.

“The director in charge of Gwagwalada station of the Ministry has bluntly refused to recognize and work with AFAN FCT Chapter according to the directive of the Minister, which according to the director, he is working with somebody whom he claimed to be the AFAN FCT chairman, and refused to disclose the name and contact of the purported person he later claimed to be the AFAN FCT Chairman.

“All efforts to make the director understand proved abortive despite the fact that he acknowledged having a copy of the Minister’s approved letter submitted by the Chairperson of AFAN FCT.

“We call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, the Ministry, Federal Inputs Supply Services(FISS), National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria(AFAN), Arch Kabir Ibrahim, to investigate this action by the director at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security suited in Gwagwalada FCT-Abuja.

“This investigation would go a long way to sanitize the system and such action not to be a clog in the wheels of the Tinubu-led Administration as far as food production and food security is concerned.”