Special Forces and Agro-Rangers to Protect Farms in Plateau State

Sonny Tyoden launching Fertilizer Sales for 2020

The Plateau State Government has announced that Special Forces and Agro-Rangers are to protect farms in Plateau State. This notice was made during the kick-off of the sale of fertilizer and other farm inputs to farmers in the state for year, 2020. The event was held at the Plateau State Ministry of Agriculture’s Warehouse along Bukuru Expressway in Jos South.

The Plateau State Deputy Governor, Professor Sonny Tyoden, who represented Governor Lalong noted that this year, the state awarded a contract for the purchase of sixty thousand bags of 50kg NPK 20.10.10, 45,000 bags of 50kg of Urea, 30 metric tons of maize, 15 metric tons of rice seeds, 7.5 metric tons of cotton seeds and 5250 litres of growth boosters.  He gave prices as follows:

1.     NPK 20:10: 10 at N5000 per bag of 50kg.

2.     Urea at N15000 per bag of 50kg.

3.     Growth boosters at N40, 000 per litre.

4.     Maize seed at N428 and N1605 per 2 kg for different varieties.

5.     Rice seed at N6500 per 25kg bag.

6.     Arewa cotton seed at N4200.

Farmers wishing to purchase any of the inputs are to go to the nearest store in their respective local governments, get allocation papers and pay the equivalent to of what they are purchasing to an agent of Staling Bank at the location. The evidence of payment is then presented to the store keepers who then supply the product.

The governor noted that committees have been assigned to monitor the sales to ensure transparency, warning seriously against any diversion, as there will be dire consequences in cases of violations of the procedures the authorities have outlined.

According to the governor, the administration is working hard to encourage the use of tractors. Currently, the use of tractors in the state is at a dismal ratio of 0.2 tractors per 1000 hectares as against the global standard of 22 tractors per 1000 hectares. His government, he says, is providing a combined subsidy of 40% –30% from the state government and 10% from the local governments – for any farmer wishing to own a tractor.

In March, the authorities procured 1500 irrigation pumps for the purpose of boosting dry-season farming. He referred to the cooperation of his regime with the Lake Chard Research and the Potato Research Institutes that led to the growth of wheat and barley which weren’t grown in the state previously. 

Due to the potential of the grazing reserves in the Southern Zone of the state, the state has been enlisted in the Livestock Resilient Support Project of the World Bank. He also encouraged farmers to join cooperative groups to benefit from a range of loan facilities the Federal The government makes possible through the Central Bank.

The state government, determined to encourage large-scaled agricultural practice, is reacquiring 90% of the ownership of Barc Farms, with the intention of handing it over to a private body with the capacity to use it in large-scale farming efficiently.

The event was hosted by the State Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr Hosea Finangwai with support from his colleague at the Information Ministry, Dan Manjang. There was also the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, who called the government’s attention to the issue of security in farms. Also in attendance was the Chairman of the State Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, and the chairman of the host local government area.

Dr Finangwai noted that the sale started slightly later than it used to due to bottlenecks caused by the incidence of the coronavirus disease. For the same reason, there were a handful of farmers in attendance at the launch. At fertilizer distribution centres, he says, there will be hand-washing/disinfecting facilities, decongestion and insistence on the use of face masks.  

Dr Finangwai voiced his gratitude to the Association of Nigerian Governors, headed by the Plateau State Governor, for their decision to exempt farmers from the lockdown due to the critical nature of their work. According to him, the exemption brought about a reduction in post-harvest losses of perishable farm produce.

Finangwai praised the governor for counterpart funding he has paid to support the Potato Value Chain Program, the Rural Access and Marketing Program (RAAMP). The commissioner further thanked the governor for his unbowed support to improve the process of farm inputs sourcing and sharing for the farmers and the revival of Agricultural Services and Training Centre, ASTC.

The ALGON Chairman announced that, at their own levels, they will be replicating what the state government is doing to help farmers. During the occasion, the chairman of the host local government, Jos South, unveiled a huge painting of the governor.

Finangwai Dreams Big for Plateau State

Dr Hosea Finangwai. Source Dr Finangwai

There is that saying that “the things that people desperately seek are always with them.” If you ever had the chance to visit a vegetable market in Plateau State, you get a profound feeling that the solution to Plateau’s economic woes is hidden in vegetables grown in the state. Sadly, the little things that authorities ought to do to help this come to fruition often fail to materialize. Besides, prosperity is not just about the economy, schools and roads. Prosperity is also about physical beauty and decency of our public places; people judge you by the way you appear. Thus, the markets need to be organized to look decent.  

In the past, particularly in colonial times, there were successful efforts at market organizations. In Bukuru, Jos South, for instance, the market was organized to have units for every basic trade. There were huge warehouses for grain storage, a decently built slaughter and units for the sale of the slaughtered animals, tailoring, vegetable... There was also the famous abattoir around Dogon Karfe. Since then, nothing of that nature has been built, despite population growth even while existing ones are in a state of rot. 

The chaos in the vegetable market and abattoir were the reason why the News Tower visited the Honourable Commissioner of Agriculture in Plateau State, Dr Hosea Finangwai. But the conversation got bigger than we had hoped. The News Tower was trying to bring the attention of the commissioner to the idea of organizing emerging markets like that of Building Materials for decency, modernity and easy navigation. So, we asked the commissioner what plans he has for this year, 2020. 

Dr Finangwai brought to our attention the fact that a reasonable growth plan in the short term isn’t feasible. It is the reason why his emphasis is on compiling the data of farmers and their activities and drawing a policy program upon which growth in the agricultural portfolio would be hinged. When that is done, the government will then unleash its development program fully.

Concerning the creation of a policy document, the commissioner said he intends to hold a summit of those that matter in the sector this year. Eventually, the ministry will ensure the cooperation of the Plateau Agricultural Development Program, PADP, The College of Agriculture Garkawa, the Agricultural Services and Training Centre (with offices across the state), and the Home Economic School in Riyom. These bodies are either agricultural training providers or service providers or both. And, since the administration wants to move agriculture in the state from subsistence to wealth creation, these bodies will be used to train the farmers who will then be supported to get loans from the Nigerian Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL). 

Taking agriculture in Plateau State to a higher pedestal must involve extraordinary measures. Hence, the Ministry has identified varieties of certified seeds that have already been given to farmers. In the potato value chain, there is the idea of diffuse light stores to preserve the perishables until a favourable market day, processing units, life kiosks, tissue culture laboratories to clean our varieties to produce brands that are highly viable and resistant to diseases, thereby getting rid of challenges like potato blight. The commissioner also talked about the Gramin Agricultural Markets program to help farmers sale their goods locally as is done in India. More than seven hundred rural roads and about one hundred and fifty-six tarred roads will be constructed to enhance connections between the farms and the markets. 

The efforts will also involve the promotion of commodity associations. In this regard, the government in connection with the commodity associations has started working to help in the preservation of agricultural produce in cold rooms, which ASTC has in three locations in Plateau State that includes Vom, Kuru-Jenta and Tenti Green. The commodity associations have been mandated to find lands to be used as commodity markets, where farmers can deposit their goods in the cold houses, especially when markets aren’t favourable. It will help to discourage large gatherings, especially when social distancing becomes imperative. 

Dr Finangwai said he did lead a delegation to visit the honourable Minister of Agriculture, Mallam Sabo Nanono. The aim was to seek support in helping the Plateau State Government to set up cold houses. Still, with preservation, the commissioner said his ministry has proposed to the governor to encourage members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTWh) to see the possibility of integrating cold vans into their fleet for the transportation of the perishable agricultural product to distant locations. His ministry is awaiting the response of the governor.

About the abattoir, the commissioner agrees the conditions are squalid; there is a paucity of water so that butchers have to use water niggardly. But there is also the reality of butchers slaughtering sick animals and selling them to people. Hence, the Plateau State Ministry of Agriculture is working with the Chairman and Secretary of the Butchers union to fix the ugly situation. But, the ministry is also looking at the prospect of handing the abattoir over to a private body, to avoid the I-do-not-give-a-damn behavior that often runs public agencies down. 

Regarding Kara Market in Bukuru, the administration has entered into an MOU with Harati. All this is aimed at making Kara market an international cattle market. Kara market was “built” by the administration of late Solomon Lar, during the second republic between 1979 and 1985, but has never really taken off. If it works well, according to the commissioner, the program will be replicated in the central and southern zones of Plateau State.

How to Become a Billionaire

By Yiro Abari High

Billionaires, their businesses and private lives often make interesting topics of conversations. They are powerful and influence lives in many ways. But above all, they stir others, creating in them a hunger for success. This way, a lot of people want to become billionaires.    

If you have been around for some time and have, at one time or the other, tried business, it should probably have given you an idea on how successful businesses are built. Billionaires become profoundly rich because they build successful businesses. So, you don’t just set out wanting to become a billionaire. I think that it is saner to set out wanting to become a successful businessman or woman. If your business becomes successful and you sustain the growth, then you are on your way to becoming a billionaire. 

The paths to becoming a billionaire are many and complex, but most billionaires achieved that status by searching to find a service or goods that are needed but which no one offers. If you find yourself offering services or commodities, then you are on your way…

There are certain services that couldn’t be provided because it required a technology that no one was able to invent. If you are able to invent such a technology to provide that service, then you are on your way to becoming a billionaire, especially if the technology solves a problem to millions of people. This is the case with Bill Gates of Microsoft Corporation. In the case of Jeff Bezos of Amazon, he did not invent the internet. He hatched the idea of selling things via the internet and was able to make it work. Currently, there is a search for Corona Virus cure or a vaccine. If you can find it, then you are on your way.

The Igbos in the south-east of Nigeria have the highest number of entrepreneurs in black Africa. They have a tradition of travelling to remote corners of the earth, where a lot of people wouldn’t want to live. It makes them the only suppliers of goods in that locality, helping them to build their businesses easily. There is an element of sacrifice here. So, you must not necessarily invent something like Bill Gates or hatch a unique idea like Jeff Bezos to get extraordinarily rich. You can simply buy a product to sell in a place where no one else sells it. 

But, if you find yourself in a place where a commodity or service is provided by many, you still can become rich buy studying the business landscape to see gaps that you can take advantage of and be ahead of the others. By doing this, you end up suffocating the other businesses, becoming a sole supplier. Aliko Dangote’s businesses supply what has been supplied by others. He, however, delivers the goods to depots across the country, cutting out middlemen and bringing down prices that ensure he stays ahead in the competition. 

Talent is part of it. Bill Gates has talent. When he was asked how he became so wealthy, he said, “I was lucky to be born with a certain amount of talent.” As said before, you don’t set out wanting to become a billionaire. You should set out wanting to build a successful business. Most times, the success of the business puts a lot of capital into your hand with which you can venture into any area where you see an opportunity that simply requires capital. You could have a talent for music, use it to generate capital and then put the capital to other businesses that generate even more money than music. Sean Puffy Combs, aka, P Diddy, is an example. He is truly the wealthiest Hip Hop artist, but not all the wealth comes from music. Music was just a stepping-stone. There is also Jay-Z who is venturing into other businesses after raising millions through music.  

You could also get rich by luck. If, for instance, your ancestors own land that turned out to be underlain by gold in a nation where the law favours the landowner in a way, you could get astonishingly rich. You could marry a wealthy woman that gives you a start.

But there is destiny. Destiny could say that you will never become a billionaire. In that case, you will do all these things and still see yourself getting even poorer, especially if you lack connection or some powers stand against you. There could be a war coming to disrupt your effort. There could be weak laws that leave your business unprotected. It is why businesses are like flying birds looking for the right place to land.

But like they say, winners never quit and quitters never win. Even when there is frustration while you are doing the right thing, it would be only wise to keep doing what is right. Those creating stumbling blocks aren’t God. The challenges could just be part of your story but not the whole of it.