Tweeter: Confusion as many Nigerians see all FG’s agro initiatives pro-North
Reactions have continued to trail a tweet by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development about a recent nationwide youth agric project which commenced in Katsina State last week.
Otherwise, since the tweet, many Nigerians have taken to the social media, querying the Federal Government through the ministry to list any of its agro programmes that is taking place across the southern half of the country since the beginning of this administration.
President Muhammadu Buhari is a native of Daura in Katsina State.
Only in November at the World Bank forum in United States, the World Bank boss, without knowing the enormity of its interpretation in Nigerian parlance, told newsmen that President Buhari directed the bank to face the north and that they are do so.
Besides, many Nigerians had complained that all the new rail projects follow West-North axis, a claim the government had been struggling to play down.
The summary of their tweets tend suggested that over 90 per cent of all federal government agro scheme are domiciled in northern states with minimal investments down south.
Though the ministry is yet to respond to the allegations, in an updated tweet the ministry noted that “The Federal Government commences a nationwide rural youth agric empowerment programme; training young farmers in spraying and good agric practices in Katsina.”
According to the ministry trainees in the programme received free kits including knapsack sprayers, stressing that the training targeted 1,400 farmers and 22 value chains and four states in each value chain.
Some of the key tweets as posted are listed unedited:
Kolawole Folorunsho, using the twitter handle, @koladesmond tweeted, “laudable project; good one but endeavour to make it a nationwide project. When is Ondo State’s turn?”
Azeez Tajudeen @Azeez Tajudeen8 tweeted, “When will it be Osun State’s turn? We have not felt much impact of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the state.”
Adetiloye Omotayo @Teewaipreneur tweeted, “We need this initiative in Ekiti State.”
Haywhy, using the handle @haywhydee87 tweeted, “They should spread it to all states, especially southern Nigeria and not restrict it to northern Nigeria.”
Aiyetojo Femi @femipatrick tweeted, “Good one. I own farms in Kogi and Kwara; how can I benefit from this?”
While Erasmus Nfawa, @nfawaerasmus43 tweeted a question, “Is Cross River State involved in this programme?” Oluwaseun Shotimehin, @Sheasum01 tweeted, “Good one. When are you coming to Ogun State?”
Only lately as the tweets go viral, the ministry in what can be described as face saving drive said “The programme is being implemented by the Department of Extension Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and it covers 36 states of the federation and the FCT”.
