The governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia says he will not accept diversion of government subsidised fertilizers for personal use by anyone irrespective of position in government.
Governor Alia gave the warning in Makurdi recently during flag off of the 2023 Fertilizer Sales and Distribution in the state.
He said the flag – off was his administration’s effort at cushioning the effects of harsh economic challenges temporarily being experienced by people of the state.
The governor who described Benue as one of the richest states in terms of fertile land for agriculture, urged Benue farmers to take advantage of the N12,500 being the subsidized amount for a 50kg bag of fertiliser, promising to provide improved agricultural machineries as well as enabling environment for farmers as never experienced in the state as his administration progresses.
The governor who disclosed government purchase of one hundred trucks of fertilizer for the state, called on farmers to exercise patience. He pointed out that sale of fertilizers will henceforth be flagged off in April of every farming season.
Earlier in his speech, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Nats Adzuu commended the governor for his efforts at ensuring that fertilizer was made available to Benue farmers at a subsidized rate despite inheriting empty coffers.
He assured the governor of the ministry’s commitment to food security and fair distribution of the product across the state.
Also in his remark, the chairman Taskforce Committee on Governor Alia’s 100 days in office, Dr. Moses Tule disclosed that the governor has allocated one truck of fertiliser each for all political parties in the state saying it was the governor’s belief that the time for campaigns were over and as such everyone deserves to enjoy dividends of democracy irrespective of their political parties.
- He added that fertilisers will be sold at the headquarters of Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and all the agric departments across the 23 local government areas in the state.
The governor later purchased 50 bags of fertiliser for the most vulnerable farmers in the state to be distributed at the SEMA office.
