Farmers Raise Concern Over Security Challenges In NigeDelta

Farmers group operating under the umbrella of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Delta state chapter has raised concern over the alleged renewed hostilities in Niger-Delta.In a petition addressed to the vice president, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo dated March 23rd, 2017, signed by Elder Eugene Jacob, a copy made available to our reporter, warned that should the federal government fail to address pertinent questions of the youths restiveness, militancy and unemployment in the Niger-Delta region, the situation might get worse as the challenges facing the youths might be out of patience.The group explained that the unemployed youths can be useful and resource builders of FG initiated training through agricultural sector that will create employment for them without writing applications.Noting that previous regimes have made considerable efforts towards the development of the region with a view to providing sustainable development projects, the group regretted that vast natural resources and manpower initiated then, hitherto are currently to no avail, saying that the failure of the past regimes was as a result of being ill-guided in their approach to the Niger-Delta issues.The group averred that rather than focusing on the aspect of human development through the agricultural sector, the past government was busy paying ransoms, compensations and royalties into wrong hands and a handful of aggrieved youths who never were represented in the interest of peace and productivity and identified unemployment, poor funding of major projects as challenges facing the region.The group therefore urged the federal government to establish farms in the troubled region in collaboration with the Farmers Association (AFAN), saying: Nigeria has the agricultural potentials and endowment to solve the problems of unemployment and food production, but this can only happen when all agricultural projects are well planned and executed and called on President Mohammadu Buhari to fund the ongoing cassava project of the AFAN in Delta state so as to reduce the cost of the product and create employment opportunities in the Niger Delta region.
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