The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Sabo Nanono, has commended the agro-industrialisation initiative of Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River.
Nanono gave the commendation on Saturday in Calabar while being conducted round the industrial park by Gov. Ayade for on the spot assessment of the industries built under his administration.
The Minister visited the ultra modern Rice Mill, Ogoja, Cocoa Processing Factory, Ikom, Rice Seeds and Seedlings Factory, the Feed Mill Company, the Calachika Frozen Factory, the Noodles Factory and the Garment Factory.
The Minister described the state’s investment as impressive, adding that agro-industrialisation is an alternative means of revenue generation and employment for youths.
“I am very pleased to see that what will be processed in the Frozen Chicken Factory will be consumed locally and internationally.
“This is very important for us as a country because the consumption of chicken in Nigeria is very high. We need more of this factory across the country.
“It is a great effort and something that will reduce the over dependency on imported chicken where we spend alot of foreign exchange on.
“With this kind of factory, we can internalise our production for chicken and safe alot of foreign exchange because I know that they are alot of poultry farms in the country for eggs and meat”, he said.
Nanono called on other governors to emulate Ayade’s agricultural drive, adding that even without oil, he has done alot in the agricultural sector to move the nation agricultural sector forward.
“It is a reality that I have seen today. The Cross River governor knows the important of agriculture for food sufficiency and revenue generation”, he said.
On the vitaminise rice seedlings, the Minister lauded Ayade for the technological approach deployed in processing the seedlings.
He commended him for also setting up the Cocoa Processing Factory in Ikom local government area of the state and rice mill in Ogoja local government area.
He assured that the Federal Government will support the state with the necessary facilities to promote and enhance agricultural produce in the state.
Speaking, Ayade said his desire to invest massively on agriculture was to create a value chain for food production, employment and exportation to generate revenue.
“We have created a value chain for young men and women to go into maize and soya beans cultivation because that is what we need to put into the feed mill that will feed the birds before the birds will come for slaughter and processed as frozen chicken.
“We are asking young people now to go to the farm and start massive cultivation of soya beans and maize that would be used for feeding this chicken for domestic and external consumption.
“It is in view of this agricultural drive that we have invited President Muhammadu Buhari to come to the state and lunch the Green Money initiative”, the governor added. (NAN)
Tag: Cross River
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FG lauds Ayade’s agro-industrial revolution in C/River
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Sanitation: C/River Gov’t collaborates with vigilante group
The Cross River Government has called for synergy with the state command of Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) on sanitation and enforcement of environmental laws in the state.
Commissioner for Environment in the state, Mr Mfon Bassey, made the call on Monday in Calabar when the leadership of the state VGN command paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
Bassey said that the collaboration became necessary following the state government’s priority in environmental protection, cleanliness and greenery of the state.
He told the VGN that the Gov. Ben Ayade administration has committed a lot of resources to the maintenance of a clean and green environment in Calabar.
“I want to disclose that we have been assigned a magistrate court to help us tackle issues of environment and punish those who brake the law.
“As a Ministry, we really need the court to enforce some of these laws because we must punish offenders of environmental laws with a view to making sure the right thing is done.
“The court is to instill discipline on our people. We opted for a magistrate court because of its seriousness and readiness to work with us,” he said.
He frowned at cases were some residents dump their waste in the drains instead of using the bins at various locations for dumping of waste.
He reiterated that the Ministry was committed to the recovery of all green areas within the city, adding that any illegal structure erected on verges or drainages would be destroyed.
Speaking, the State Commandant of VGN, Dr Mercy Effiom, told the Commissioner that VGN is a national security outfit established in 1983 and registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in 1999.
Effiom said that the VGN gives information and arrest criminals, where necessary and hand them over to security agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.
She assured the Commissioner that officials of VGN in the state would work in harmony with the ministry to arrest and ensure that residents comply with the environmental laws.
She disclosed that part of their mandate were to protect lives and properties, assist in crowd control, community policing, security provision in public places among others.
She appealed for the provision of security gadgets like walkie-talkies, torch lights, stun gun and office accommodation. (NAN)
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C/River hosts 36,000 Cameroonian refugees -SEMA DG
The Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Monday said that the state was currently hosting 36,044 Cameroonian refugees in its settlements across the state.
Mr Princewill Ayim, Director General of SEMA in Cross River, disclosed this in an Interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.
Ayim said the refugees were currently in three settlements in Adagom 1, Adagom 3 and Ukende, all in Ogoja Local Government Area of the state.
Ayim told NAN that with the increasing number of refugees been registered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the number has risen from 35,965 in 2019 to 36,044 in January 2020.
According to him, the figure represents 69.5 per cent of the total number of Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria, adding that the new figure was released by the UNHCR in January 2020.
The DG said that since the crisis broke out in October 2017 in Cameroon over the demand for Ambazonia Republic by the Anglophone Cameroonians, the settlement had continued to witness an increase of Cameroonian refugees into the state through land borders.
Ayim told NAN that the official number of refugees in Nigeria has risen from 51,723 in December 2019 to 51,864 in the latest data obtained by UNHCR.
He added that from the latest figure, 45.9 per cent of the refugees are male, while the female represents 54.1 per cent.
“As we speak, the number of Cameroonian refugees in Cross River has increased from 35,965 in December 2019 to 36,044 in January 2020.
“This is so because the number keeps increasing due to the crisis that is yet to be addressed in Southern Cameroon.
“These refugees are being registered by the UNHCR as they come in. As we speak, the facilities in the camps are been overstretched because of the increasing numbers.
“We wish to call on the international bodies and the federal government to come in and assist the state government in providing certain facilities like water, education, social support and others,” he said.
He told NAN that the host communities have been very hospitable and cooperative with the refugees, adding that most refugees have integrated themselves with the way of life of the people in the area.
“On security, Gov. Ben Ayade has done a lot in ensuring that the refugees are protected and allowed to move freely with their identity cards like any other resident in the state.
“Ayade is a humanitarian by nature, he does not joke with cases of refugees in the state; he is intervening in healthcare, social and security support among many others,” he said.
Ayim added that plans were on to expand the camps with a view to prevent any disease outbreak. (NAN)