By Dickson Pat
Agbekoya Society of Nigeria, a parent body of Agbekoya Farmers Association of Nigeria, has urged President Bola Tinubu to monitor distribution of grants and subsidies for agriculture to achieve the purpose.
The group gave the advice in an open letter to Tinubu on Sunday, following Sunday’s presidential broadcast over nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest.
The letter was jointly signed by the group’s President, Chief Kamorudeen Okikiola, and National Secretary, Dr Adegbenro Ogunlana.
The group was reacting to the Federal Government’s investments and other efforts in boosting food production to address hunger, as revealed in his broadcast.
It said that many Federal Government’s agricultural programmes did not get to the grassroots.
“The Nigerian Government has implemented various programmes and initiatives aimed at supporting the agricultural sector and empowering small holder farmers.
“However, we have observed that the intended benefits of these programmes often do not reach the intended beneficiaries grassroots farmers who form the backbone of our nation’s food production.
“Our members, who are primarily subsistence and small-scale farmers, have experienced significant challenges in accessing grants, subsidies and other forms of support that have been made available.
“This is due to lack of transparency, accountability and effective monitoring mechanisms in the distribution process”, it said.
The group advised the president to start monitoring the interventions for efficiency.
The body said that grassroots farmers were the true drivers of agricultural productivity in Nigeria and should not be left out of programmes designed to uplift them.
According to the group, for Nigeria to achieve food security, sustainable agricultural development and empowerment of rural communities, it is crucial to implement a robust and transparent way of monitoring policies.
The body said that such a monitoring system should ensure that agricultural grants and subsidies would reach the intended beneficiaries.
It called for establishment of a comprehensive database of registered Nigerian small holder farmers with detailed information on their land holdings, crops and other relevant details.
The group advocated implementation of a decentralised and community-based distribution system for agricultural grants and inputs.
The group also called for development of capacities of extension workers and local government agricultural officers to effectively monitor distribution of grants and inputs.
The society also called for introduction of a grievance redressing mechanism where farmers could report irregularities or misappropriation of agricultural support.
“We stand ready to work with your administration to develop and implement this much-needed monitoring policy.
“We remain committed to the sustainable growth of the agricultural sector in Nigeria”, it said.
