The senate leader and lawmaker representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele has distributed 500 bags of fertilisers and cash gifts to farmers in Ekiti State.

Bamidele  said  the fertilizers were distributed to boost food production and the economy in line with the agenda of the administration to support farmers across the country.

He appealed to the benefitting farmers not to sell the fertilizers to people who are not into farming, saying that some unscrupulous elements and criminals are going about to buy the produce to manufacture explosives devices.

The federal legislator also supported farmers in his constituents with N1million each per Local  government for easy conveyance of the fertilisers to respective farm.

At the ocassion ,Bamidele  hinted  that Ibadan, the Oyo state capital will be the headquarters of the proposed South-West Development Commission.

He explained that President Bola Tinubu would sign the bill into law when he  returned from his vacation abroad.

He denied the insinuations making the round that he was against the interest of the south west region, adding that his efforts and other 17 senators in the zone culminated in the passage of the bill by the National Assembly.

According to him, a bill or memorandum on regionalism has not been presented before the senate for discussion, noting that he would continue to protect the interest of the Yoruba race and the country at large.

While acknowledging the hardship being faced by the people across the country, he appealed to citizens to show more understanding with President Tinubu in his efforts at implementing his renewed hope agenda for the nation.

Bamidele said, “ Some enemies of progress are deliberately maligning my character, they have been doing so much to make me a bad person, that I am against the regional government but I am not so worried because I know the truth will prevail at the end of the day.

“Let me reiterate again that, as of today (Monday), there is no bill of such before the senate, not even a memorandum before the senate to debate on regarding regionalism. So, all the talk that I opposed regionalism is fake news and is unfounded. We have not had any paper to debate. Whether anybody supports regionalism or not is a debate that will come later when we have the bill before us.

“Let me say here that I just led 18 senators representing the south west states to work hard for the senate to pass the South West Development Commission bill. If I had just done that with my colleagues, there is no way anyone can say I am against Yoruba race.

“The House of Representatives has passed it and by the grace of God when President Bola Tinubu comes back from its vacation, he will sign the bill into law. We will set up the commission and the headquarters will be in Ibadan, there is no controversy about it.

“The commission will ensure the interest of Ekiti and other states in the region are well protected. There will be a chairman for the commission, there will be a managing director, and there will be four executive directors (Finance, Administration, Project and Operations).

“These six positions will be shared among the six states in the South West and the interest of every state including Ekiti will be well protected.

“We will continue to do everything to protect the interest of Ekiti and the Yoruba race and of course the interest of Nigeria because it is when there is peace in the country, that is when every tribe and region can have peace, that is where I stand

President Bola Tinubu has announced the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.

The President disclosed this on Tuesday when he inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms at the Council Chamber in the State House in Abuja.

The Committee is to be chaired by the President, with the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (EFCC), Attahiru Jega, as the Deputy Chairman.

The Committee is expected to propose recommendations aimed at fostering a peaceful co-existence between herders and farmers while ensuring the security and economic well-being of all Nigerians.

…… targets N160 billion yearly profit

Governor Charles Soludo says his government has begun importing one million palm oil seedlings and one million coconuts from Malaysia, hoping to make N160 billion annual revenue for Anambra.

Deputy Governor Onyekachi Ibezim disclosed this while inaugurating the 2023 farming season at Alex Ekwueme Square Awka.

Mr Ibezim, who represented the Anambra governor at the event, said, “We started importation of one million palm oil seedlings and one million coconuts from Malaysia last year. These species have three years maturity period.”

He added, “When this investment fully matures, the off-takers will be processing the fruits of these plants, and over N160 billion will be yearly income from this window.”

The Anambra deputy governor also revealed the state government’s plan to irrigate 10,000 hectares of land for rice farming at Ifite Ogwari community in Ayamelum LGA for rice cultivation, stressing that agriculture can create wealth and employment opportunities for thousands of people.

Mr Ibezim said that based on the abundant opportunities in the sector, the government listed agriculture among the priority areas of investment in the 50-years development plan of Anambra.

He called on farmers to commit to the sector as the government will always support them in their activities.

Foster Ihejiofor, the agric commissioner, said the state’s focus is on “biological farming,” not on producing food.

“It is about preserving our environment and ensuring the sustainability of our food system. Biological farming, aka zero budget, carbon farming or regen-Ag, launched in 2022 by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, is a sustainable agricultural system,” Mr Ihejiofor explained.

The commissioner urged farmers to embrace the new farming system, saying, “Biological farming is not just environmentally friendly, it is also economically beneficial to farmers as it reduces the cost of inputs while improving soil’s health, plants’ health, nutrients, among others.”

(NAN)