I could recall vividly with passion that
during my secondary school days in Lagos State, I and my fellow classmates were
asked by our Agricultural Science teacher to individually write an essay
between livestock farming and crop farming. I’m filled with nostalgia as I
remember that fateful day.
In my analysis, as a teenager, I chose to pay
greater attention to the former since it had to do with animals. At the time, I
enjoyed discussing the animal kingdom because of a particular animal
documentary I was invariably viewing on a certain television channel. So, I was
of the view that livestock farming, particularly poultry which my family then
had at our backyard, could be successfully practised with ease by any person or
group. And I grew up with that perception.
But
penultimate week, precisely on Monday 26th February 2018, my candid
opinion was proven wrong by Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State who on the
said date appointed an Adviser on “Poultry Development” in the person of Dr.
Rabiu Alkali among four other appointees.
For coming up with such an appointment, the
former lawmaker may have considered poultry as one of the key sectors that
require adequate attention by his administration. He had apparently thought it
wise to see that aspect of livestock farming as special, hence the need to
treat it as such. He had perhaps considered the compelling need for Nigeria as
a people to desist from the unending importation of frozen foods; an act that
has thus far bedeviled our health and remained unwholesome to the country’s
economy at large.
Nevertheless,
inasmuch as the content of the portfolio is so glaring or self-explanatory, one
might want to know what the actual role of the appointee entails. A concerned
citizen may wish to enquire if the new intake is expected to advise the
governor on how poultry ought to be reared by the government, or the areas that
would be conducive for the creatures in question or would be suitable for the
proposed practice.
Personally, I’m interested in ascertaining if
the state’s government under the watch of Gov. Tambuwal is keen to invest on
poultry. If ‘Yes’ becomes the answer to this sincere enquiry, then I would
equally wish to know the reason the governor had chosen to pay attention to
only the aforementioned area. But if the response is ‘No’, I would then wonder
if Dr. Alkali’s consignment is to advise the governor on how to tax the poultry
keepers domiciled in the state.
If the reality must be squarely faced,
as the name of the portfolio implies, it is obvious that the Sokoto number one
citizen is willing to enhance poultry farming, or key into it via the use of
the modern methodology. If this is his true intention, it is a good step that
deserves encouragement from any patriotic citizen in not just Sokoto but the
entire Nigeria that acknowledges the essence for the governments at all levels
to invest meaningfully in agriculture.
However, in my usual inquisitive
nature, I’m still interested in comprehending why a given administration would
choose to concentrate only on ‘poultry development’ as if other aspects of
agriculture do not matter in the Nigeria’s present quest to resuscitate her
economy.
On the other hand, it could be that the
governor already has an adviser on agriculture but still went ahead to appoint
someone else strictly for poultry. I’ve come to acknowledge that our political
leaders enjoy the term ‘bureaucracy’ just as I mentioned in my previous piece
on this platform. It’s pathetic and mind-boggling to note that bureaucratic
system of government, which has hitherto remained a blood-sucking canker, is
still pampered as well as celebrated by our various public servants.
It becomes more annoying when realized
that in the long run, the supposed services of these bureaucrats are never
sought by their employers thereby making mockery of the reason they were
engaged. It’s noteworthy that in some quarters, most of these political
recognitions are merely to place the appointees’ name on the payroll towards
appreciating them for whatever role they played during the electioneering era
that begot the administration, and not necessarily to involve him or her in any
official consignment.
The
above assertion is the reason our various political leaders would continue to
manufacture all sorts of portfolio in the name of appointment. Just recently,
the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha in his known creative ingenuity,
appointed a Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfillment among his
cabinet members.
By creation of such a ministry, one
wouldn’t cease to wonder what kind of happiness would be gotten from it by the
teeming Imolites. If all the already existing ministries concentrate on doing
the needful, what do we need a happiness ministry for? It’s more appalling that
this is happening at a time the various governors are enjoined to endeavour to
cut excesses in the course of running their respective governments.
Though Gov. Tambuwal – who inaugurated
N1.56bn Fadama III Agric Scheme in Sokoto penultimate year – may have meant
well for his subjects by appointing an adviser on poultry, it’s imperative for
his Excellency to understand that the state might on the contrary be doomed if
priorities are misplaced. Hence, I candidly urge him to ensure that by that
appointment poultry rearing is duly developed so that in no distant time,
people from all walks of life would be trouping in the state for the purpose of
acquiring thorough coaching and mentoring from Dr. Alkali.
So, as I strongly join the good people
of Sokoto to welcome the new poultry adviser, it would be ideal and wise to
remind the appointee that we expect wonders to begin to happen soonest in the
aspect of domestic birds rearing. Think about it!
Comrade
Fred Nwaozor
(TheMediaAmbassador)
Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub (DRH) - Owerri
__________________________________
Twitter: @mediambassador
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