Farmers in the Abuja Municipal Council Area are in good season at the moment. Though it may not be a harvest season yet, what they have got is a sign that the next harvest season will be a time to cheer. The chairman, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, has flagged off the distribution of 800 bags of fertiliser to farmers across the 12 wards of the Council.
Maikalangu, while speaking at the flag off exercise held at Apo Resettlement Townhall, Maikalangu applauded Barrister Nyesom Wike, FCT Minister, for approving the distribution of the 800 bags of fertiliser donated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the council.
He said: “Permit me to thank our Hon. Minister of FCT, Chief Barr. Nyesom Wike, for approving the distribution of 800 bags of fertiliser donated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to us.” The chairman has a word for officials who will handle the distribution to the benefitting farmers. He told them, “These fertilisers (600 NPK and 200 Urea) must not be diverted or sold, it must get to the farmers to enable them improve agricultural productivity.”
He said further, “This official flag-off ceremony of fertilizer distribution to our farmers today is a commitment to encourage food production and food security in Abuja Municipal Area Council.
“This exercise is a way of encouraging our youth to engaged in agricultural activities in order to run away from Idleness.
“The intervention is to further support economic development to our rural communities where 95 percent of our population here in AMAC are farmers.
He warned farmers to take note that these fertilizers are given out free of charge to our farmers, a standing committee including security agencies will be going from ward to ward to ensure that all the selected beneficiaries from the 12 Electoral Wards in AMAC received the commodity.
“Beneficiaries of this free fertilizer include farmers drawn from traditional rulers, religious leaders, women and youth groups, cooperative societies, road transport workers and motorcycle, Keke group as well as politicians.
“I assure you that this intervention would be a continues process, the same way we started this intervention in 2023 with the provision bags of fertilizer, pumping machines, spraying machines and other farming input to our rural farmers.
“Let me also commend the department of Agriculture and natural resources of Abuja Municipal Area Council for their effort in bringing this occasion to reality. Insha Allah, we shall do it again, perhaps in a very bigger way, it has become necessary upon us to sustain this.”
Apparently to address the fears of the chairman, Saleh Zakari Biu, Supervisory Councillor for Agriculture, said that the committee set up for the distribution exercise did a thorough job by making sure only genuine farmers were selected. He said the committee got across to the 12 wards of AMAC, in accordance with the directive of the FCT Administration.
