Sunday, 19 May 2013
Adesina’s Cellphones-For-Farmers Gimmick By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
On Monday, January 14, 2014, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina addressed State House correspondents on the controversy trailing the plans by the federal government to buy phones for farmers. Some pundits estimated that the mobile phones would cost the government a whopping N60 billion.
Dr. Adesina told State House correspondents that such amount was never earmarked by government for such project, stressing that the type of mobile phones that would be purchased and the mode of its distribution was yet to be determined.
I consider the minister’s statements on the whole cellphones brouhaha incoherent and laughable, and it is obvious that he is playing politics with the Nigerian farmers. First, he accepted the fact that government would indeed purchase the said mobile phones, but deliberately decided not to give details about the cost of the mobile phones, the purchaser, the targeted farmers and where they would be purchased from. This confirms the fears being expressed by Nigerians that something is fishy about the exercise.
The minister also made some passive statements. He said “there will be no direct procurement of phones by the federal government,” adding that “we are also not going to give anyone contracts to import phones from China or anywhere else.” So, who will do the procurement and how? Where would the phones come from? Do we manufacture phones in Ontisha, Nnewi, Aba, Lagos or Kano?
The minister also alluded to the fact that “the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Communications Technology are partnering together to implement this policy. We intend to use the GES scheme to distribute these phones,” adding that the “phones will be sold directly to farmers by local mobile phone service providers. The government simply subsidises the cost of the phone directly to the farmer.” Now, what is the minister trying to say here? How do you sell or subsidise what you don’t have the intention of procuring?
I really don’t know why Dr. Adesina decided to insult the intelligence of Nigerians on a petty thing like mobile phone. I also do not know why the minister decided to contradict his principal, President Goodluck Jonathan; in a year the president promised Nigerians more action and less talk. Yes! Dr Adesina actually contradicts his boss on the cellphone issue, meaning that he is not even abreast with what is happening in his ministry.
In his 2013 Budget presentation, Jonathan told the joint session of the National Assembly that “the Ministry of Agriculture, for example, will work with the Ministry of Communication Technology to ensure that 5 million women farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs receive mobile phones to be able to access information about agro-inputs through an e-wallet scheme.” But, Dr. Adesina said government targets about two million farmers for mobile phones distribution this year. When was the number reduced from five to about two million? Who reduced this presidential figure?
Beyond the uncoordinated lies about the figure and the cost of the project, I am not sure that the priority of Nigerian farmers is to own a cellphone. I think what the farmers need is access to funds in order to improve their farming capacity and feeder roads to transport their produce to the needed markets, power and storage facilities to preserve their produce etc.
This is simply because almost any average farmer in Nigeria can afford to buy cellphone that can at least receive and send text message. So, no average Nigerian farmer needs government’s intervention to buy phones.
And so, the challenge is for the Ministry of Agriculture to engage in a valuable project that can add value to the lives of the real farmers. The starting point, in my view, is to ensure that the Nigerian farmers have unlimited access to government loans to improve their businesses.
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PHONES FOR LOCAL FARMERS?THE THIEVES ARE STEALING AT ALL TIMES.
Submitted by Udo Mbakara (not verified) on January 19, 2013 - 15:59.
Farmers need farm inputs, zero interest loans and land not cell phones.
The people in government are looking for a sub-head to use and steal the N60Billion. God will reward them for cheating the 99% in every minute of their thievery life.
Nothing will be good for them and their generations IJN. Can the cheated 99% add a big..... AMEN!
The hottest corner in Hell is reserved for them by their master..... SATAN. Satan their master and their evil wives have taken their brains.
THE THIEVES ARE STEALING AT ALL TIMES.
Submitted by Udo Mbakara (not verified) on January 19, 2013 - 15:36.
Farmers need farm inputs, zero interest loans and land not cell phones.
The people in government are looking for a sub-head to use and steal the N60Billion. God will reward them for cheating the 99% in every minute of their thievery life.
Nothing will be good for them and their generations IJN. Can the cheated 99% add a big..... AMEN!
The hottest corner in Hell is reserved for them by their master..... SATAN. Satan their master and their evil wives have taken their brains.
u have said it all Gulloma
Submitted by Ahmed Dauda Gulu (not verified) on January 19, 2013 - 06:41.
u have said it all Gulloma this is a clear picture of the kind of govt we have in Nig. In a short sentence i will describe all these as Misplacement of piority.
Re- Adesina’s Cellphones-For-Farmers
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 19, 2013 - 05:41.
GEJ's present cabinet don't have any honest will 2 improve d standard of living of d Nigerian citizenry let alone 2 introduce realistics enonomic policies dat will guarantee economic growth nd development in Nigeria. Posterity will rmber dem 4 dier woes just like it is doing 4 david mark who foolishly said some yrs ago dat telephone is not meant 4 d poor.
Adesina the jaguda baba ole
Submitted by CHIGO (not verified) on January 19, 2013 - 04:39.
Adesina Minister of Jaguda and Ole. May the holy Ghost fire destroy you all corrupt leaders of Nigeria and reduce you all to beggars, and all your ill-gotten wealth will be transferred to hardworking and honest Nigerians. Nigeria is a country of thieves and illiterates leaders with forged certificates, while ill gotten wealth are displayed with impunity. What a shame, a nation of heartless leaders and civil servants with no agenda.
Adesina the jaguda baba ole
Submitted by CHIGO (not verified) on January 19, 2013 - 04:34.
Adesina Minister of Jaguda and Ole. May the holy Ghost fire destroy you all corrupt leaders of Nigeria and reduce you all to beggars, and all your ill-gotten wealth will be transferred to hardworking and honest Nigerians. Nigeria is a country of thieves and illiterates leaders with forged certificates, while ill gotten wealth are displayed with impunity. What a shame, a nation of heartless leaders and civil servants with no agenda.
minister of agric should be sacked he is a thief
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 18, 2013 - 23:26.
Yorubas have a way of cutting corners to enable them steal money from the poor-which farmer in Nigeria does not own a mobile phone? Farmers all over the world have visitation from agric officers. Not in Nigeria where we depend on stealing to boost agric production-soon we will be here to plead that we buy ear rings for every cow in the North
na wah o!
Submitted by TI2 (not verified) on January 18, 2013 - 22:17.
Na were they go see electricity charge the phone self?
Re: Adesina’s Cellphones-For-Farmers Gimmick
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 18, 2013 - 21:47.
Mr. Gulloma is choosing to be either mischievously misleading, or he did not attend the press conference addressed Dr. Adesina, or he did not read the widely distributed press release. In an age when cynicism is rife, his comments are understandable. What Dr. Adesina is proposing is nothing new. He has already helped implement similar programs with much success and fanfare in Kenya and Malawi. Sadly, in his own country, his integrity is called into question.
The project is about getting real time information to farmers in their own languages. What' types of information? Current market prices in order to avoid exploitation by middlemen; real time weather alerts; and real time information about potential buyers. For a country Nigeria's size to not have an Agricultural exchange connected to farmers in the field in the 21st century is a crying shame.
Agric cell phones
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 18, 2013 - 21:46.
I believe the situation of our not trusting our leaders over time has turned us all into impatient and unreasonable people. First, ADESINA has all the opportunities in this world to be corrupt on Fertilizer, on Seeds and other inputs and Tractors without anyone noticing or raising an eyelid. If such a guy deliberately removes corruption in these areas that most of us would regard as his legitimate areas of corrupt rewards why then would he want to go and become corrupt in areas that clearly belong to another Ministry?
Let this question calm your emotions so we can rightly listen to this man and reason in our heads.
