….Kogi VCDP Distributes Inputs to Farmers to Cushion Flood Effects
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Kogi State in North Central Nigeria has won the World Bank’s Awards of Excellence in three categories – Fiscal Transparency and Accountability, Debt Sustainability and Domestic Revenue Mobilisation.
The significant awards were conferred on Kogi State at the Federal Government of Nigeria/World Bank States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Dinner with Governors/Award Night, held at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Monday evening.
The Kogi state commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, while briefing Journalists in Lokoja on the giant feat, said that the objective of the World Bank’s State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Program is to promote focus and attention of Nigerian States towards improvement of their PFM systems, processes and institutions.
The Auditor-General of Kogi State, Yakubu Okala, who also spoke to journalists after the attributed the celebrated success of the state in the areas of fiscal transparency and accountability to self-discipline, as well as the institution of a transparent and accountable governance system by Governor Yahaya Bello from the inception of his administration.
“The State is blessed with an incorruptible Governor who also provides leadership from all fronts, a professional to the core that has surrounded himself only with persons that have the capacity to deliver.
“The philosophy of the Governor of the State, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, is making every single kobo available work for the entity of the State, hence he has instituted self-discipline, as well as transparent and accountable governance system from day one of his administration.
“He does not condone any form of abuse or misuse of the state’s resources at the disposal of every responsible officer,” the state AuG said.
SFTAS is aimed at strengthening fiscal transparency to help build trust in government, facilitating accountability in public resource management and ensuring sustainability in the participating states.
The National Programme Coordinator, Ali Mohammed, who signed the invitation letter to states, said, “The SFTAS programme has achieved important milestones with remarkable improvement in fiscal transparency and accountability; increased domestic revenue mobilization; increased efficiency in public expenditure; and strengthened debt management.”
The dinner was therefore organized to celebrate the achievements of SFTAS since inception.
Recall that the World Bank, in July 2021, commended Governor Yahaya Bello for refunding $4.63 million surplus funds under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP).
The commendation was conveyed in a letter of appreciation, signed by its Regional Director, Shubham Chaudhuri, describing the step as a sign of good leadership.
According to the World Bank, the Governor’s action made it possible for the organisation to extend its projects to other states facing deficit funds and to extend the closing date of its projects.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government through the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), has distributed inputs to rural farmers affected by flood disaster, for the 2022/2023 dry season farming in Kogi.
The distribution is on the platform of the Value Chain Development Programme supported by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD/VCDP).
The National Programme Coordinator (NPC), FGN/IFAD-VCDP, Dr Fatima Aliyu, flagged off the distribution at the Agricultural Development Project (ADP) office, Felele, Lokoja
Represented by Mr Gidado Bello, the Programme’s Human Resource Adviser, Aliyu said the gesture was to cushion the devastating effects by the recent flood disaster on rural farmers and boost food security in the state.
According to her, VCDP has regular programmes to supporting rural farmers with subsidised inputs to improving their farming and farm production.
She explained that this particular input distribution was special because it was coming immediately after the unfortunate experience of flooding which had severely affected the farmers.
Aliyu said that the programme was put together to provide the immediate needed support to farmers to resume their farm business during the dry season.
She noted that the farmers should have made use of the raining season but at the point of harvesting their farm products the flood came and they lost everything.
The national coordinator stressed that the inputs would assist the farmers to get back to their business and recover some of their losses.
She added that the gesture would also give the farmers assurance that VCDP is there for them.
She encouraged the beneficiaries not to lose hope in collaborating and working with VCDP at all times but be rest assured that VCDP would always be there for them.
She enjoined them to make good use of the inputs to encourage the VCDP to give them more, stressing the need to demonstrate efficient utilisation of what they had been given.
Aliyu commended the State Programme Coordinator (SPC), Dr Stella Adejoh, and her team for their impressive performance which had made Kogi one of the best out of the nine VCDP benefitting States in the country.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr David Apeh, commended the VCDP for the gesture, saying it would greatly cushion the flood effects on the farmers and the state.
Apeh reiterated the commitment of the state government to the payment of counterpart contributions towards agricultural development to boost food production in the state.
He urged the farmers not to be discouraged by the destructions of their farmlands, assuring that the diversification to dry season farming would help them regained their losses to flood.
The commissioner commended Dr Adejoh and her team for their efforts in meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the rural farmers.
Earlier, Dr Stella Adejoh, the SPC, said most of the farmers lost their farmlands due to the recent flood disaster that ravaged the state.
Dr Adejoh said that the input distribution was to encourage the farmers to quickly engage in drying season farming to help cushion the effect of the flood.
The SPC stressed that the early distribution would encourage farmers to go back to farm early to start planting, so as to begin harvesting within the next three months.
”Even though they lost all their farmlands, giving them farm implement like the seedlings, reapers, planters, harvesters, sprayers, will help their production activities to improve on their yield.
”Without supporting the farmers at this point in time, you can imagine the level of hunger that the population is going to experience from January next year.
”So, this is to reduce that hunger, help increase the farmers’ income and reduce poverty,” she said.
The SPC advised the beneficiaries to use the items judiciously, saying the VCDP officials would be there to support them with good agronomy practices.
