FADAMA III implementation requires jet speed - Gov Alao-Akala
Updated: Tuesday 03-11-2009
The Governor of Oyo State, Chief Christopher
Adebayo Alao-Akala, has reiterated the support
of his administration in implementing the development objectives and principles of FADAMA projects in the state, especially the about-to-begin FADAMA III projects, stressing that it is a worthy venture to support since the aims and goals of FADAMA III is to sustainably increase the incomes of users of rural land and water resources.
He stated this while welcoming the members of the team of the World Bank and Federal Government supervision Mission on FADAMA III to the state, last week.
Addressing members of the joint team who paid him a courtesy visit in his office, Governor Alao-Akala declared that many farmers had benefited a lot from the FADAMA programmes and projects and since both FADAMA I and II were a huge success in the state, as well as in the nation at large. Therefore, he said the present administration in the pacesetters state wwould do everything possible to make the implementation of FADAMA III a significant success as well.
The governor further posited that since Oyo State was widely known as the pacesetting state, his administration would ensures that “jet speed”was used in implementating the development objectives of FADAMA III. He, however, tasked the Federal Government to continue to give proper attention to the development of the agricultural sector as reflected in the seven-point agenda of President Umaru Yar’Adua.
And to the World Bank and National FADAMA office, he expressed his appreciation to all the efforts being put in place to empower the rural farmers in order to make food surplus in the country.
In his welcome address to the World Bank, Federal Government supervision team, as well as staff of FADAMA projects III which came from Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo and Ekiti States, the Oyo State Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr. Kunle Ishola, who wasrepresented by Mr ‘Niyi Ogunsola, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, assured the mission team that the ministry would make sure that the implementation of development objectives of FADAMA III becomes a huge success.
According to the commissioner, “this time around, the advantage of lessons learnt from the implementation of FADAMA II will be taken to greatly improve the rate and level of the increase in the next one.”
Speaking further, Mr. Ishola, said nobody can doubt the success of FADAMA phases I and II because the objectives were successfully implemented in the country and because of this, Oyo State will not relent to continue to be part of the success story of FADAMA III project too.
“The achievements made in FADAMA II project in Oyo State were possible with the great assistance of the state government under the leadership of Chief Alao-Akala. The state provided counterpart funds of N98.42 million to enable it draw down its International Development Association (IDA) credit of 7.275 million dollars.
“However, the available funds assisted the state FADAMA development office to fund 149 FADAMA Community Associations (FCAs) which is made up of a total of 18, 738 members from the 1,048 FADAMA Users Groups in the then 10 participating local governments,” he explained.
Furthermore, the commissioner posited that the achievement culminated in the provision of 1,183 subprojects made up of needed economic rural infrastructure and income- generating pilot assets that ultimately increased the income as well as improved the livelihoods of the beneficiaries.
On how the state was prepared to implement the development objectives of FADAMA III, Mr. Ishola said to transit from FADAMA II to FADAMA III, the state had carried out sensitisation of all relevant stakeholders and had therefore, inaugurated the state FADAMA Technical Committee in May 2009.
“The state has also appointed and deployed eight key officers to the state FADAMA Coordinating offices, as well as recruited 80 community facilitators and they have been posted to the 20 participating local governments.
Not only that, all the 20 participating local councils have also been provided desk offices that are being manned by 40 officers from the local governments with two from each council,”he concluded.
