Poverty reduction: BASG to absorb agric workers

Following the resolution of the Bauchi State lawmakers at it plenary sitting recently on the need for Bauchi State government to absorb agricultural  extension workers into the state system,  Bauchi State government is now to absorb the state agricultural extension workers already trained in Abuja  to support poverty reduction programme of the state.

The motion for the absorption of the agricultural extension workers was moved by a member representing Hardawa state constituency, Hon. Babayo Muhammad who during the House sitting presided by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Yakubu Suleiman, where he appealed to the executive arm to absorb the workers.

He told the House that the Nigerian agricultural sector has encountered several challenges ranging from decreased funding, policy changes, reduced manpower and lack of interest of young people in agricultural entrepreneurship.

Other challenges, lawmaker Muhammad said, included changes in average temperatures, rainfall, climate extremes, growing infestation of pests and related diseases precipitated by climate change.

Also inclusive in the challenges are limited adoption of research findings and technologies, high cost of farm inputs among others which cumulatively posed a great challenge to the integrity of the country’s agricultural system.

He recalled that the federal government in its efforts to address these challenges, revitalized agricultural extension services to support small-scale agriculture, eradicate poverty and achieve national and household food security.

The lawmaker explained that as part of the efforts, the Federal Government trained thousands of agriculture extension workers drawn from all the local government areas in the country to assist in building farmers’ agricultural knowledge and skills on modern agriculture.

It similarly trained the extension workers on mechanized farming by changing farmers’ attitudes as well as promote community development through human and social development, facilitate access to markets and work with farmers’ towards sustainable natural resources.

Hon. Muhammad emphasized that the training is important to Bauchi State because, as he puts it, it represents a good opportunity for the trained extension workers to grow their knowledge based and improve the state’s agricultural sector.

He observed that in the long run, Bauchi would increase its internally generated revenue which is in tandem with the commitments of the state government under the amiable leadership of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad.

“No doubt, the Bauchi State Government has demonstrated some zeal to support agricultural development through gradual upward reviews of its agriculture budget annually”, the legislator pointed out.

He however noted with dismay that Bauchi is yet to maximize its agricultural production potential towards economic growth and improved livelihoods, for several reasons which include policy and practice limitations in implementing unified agricultural extension services for increased productivity and better living standards of small-scale farmers. 

“With limited extension workers for small-scale farmers, Bauchi State farmers received limited guidance and training in technology adoption and application of inputs, resulting in low productivity, reduced export opportunities and threaten livelihoods”.

Hon. Babayo Muhammad also expressed dissatisfaction with the current ratio of one extension worker to five thousand households in the state, and urged that the executive arm should place premium on agriculture in order to ensure food security and eradicate poverty, absorb agricultural extension workers trained in Abuja to assist small-holder farmers to address the many challenges of agricultural production in the state.

Hon. Muhammad also stressed the need for the Ministry of Information to be mandated to sensitise small-holder farmers on adopting efficient and sustainable agricultural practices to improve productivity and livelihood of farmers in the state.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Yakubu Suleiman while contributing to the motion, said that the best way to reduce poverty in Bauchi State is through farming, thus describing the motion as timely and important.

Another lawmaker, Hon. Musa Wakili Nakwada (Bogoro Constituency) said that about 80% of citizens of the state are farmers, who need only guidance to improve their farming, saying however that farmers are finding it difficult to know the best way to use chemicals and fertilizers in their farms.

Nakwada recalled that years back there were many extension workers in the state but now they are nowhere to be found, hence the need to absorb the trained extension workers and employ more so as to boost agricultural production.

The House Majority Leader, Hon. Tijjani Muhammad Aliyu Azare Madangala Constituency who also contributed to the debate, said the motion is not only timely but very important because of the role the service plays in improving agriculture. 

Hon. Tijjani Muhammad noted that if care is not taken in the next two years, Bauchi State will not have good administrative and other officers because people are retiring and there is no replacement in the service, stressing that the state civil service is suffering due to short of manpower.

“Someone will retire and there will be no replacement and no recruitment of workers in the state. We will wake to find one day, there is no experience worker in the state,” the leader lamented.

Muhammad therefore requested that a prayer should be added to the motion for the state government to lift embargo on recruitment of civil servants by employing low cadre civil servants to replace retired middle cadre employees.