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NGO advocates 10% increase in agric budget

NGO advocates 10% increase in agric budget

NAN-H-45

Food

By Awayi Kuje

Lafia, March 9, 2017 (NAN) The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), an NGO, in Nasarawa State, has advocated 10 per cent budget increase for agriculture by government at all levels to achieve national food security.

Mr Ango Adamu, the Executive Secretary of the NGO, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lafia.

He fielded questions at this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration.

Adamu said: “As you can see our NGO women wearing T-shirts advocating for 10 per cent increase in agricultural budget because the importance of agriculture cannot be over-emphasised to the development of the country.

“No society can live comfortably without agriculture.

“Agriculture is the major source of livelihood of every family, nation and its importance cannot be over-emphasised to the development of any society.

“Apart from ensuring food security, agriculture also provides job opportunities as well as boost the revenue and the socio-economic development of the state and the country at large,” he said.

According to him, if government at all levels give topmost attention to the agriculture sector, the present economic challenges facing the country will be a thing of the past.

He added that it would also reduce over-dependence on oil as the nation’s major foreign currency earner and fight poverty, youth restiveness and other social vices in the country.

The executive secretary also appealed to the government to continue to give soft loans to farmers in order to achieve food sufficiency.

The women also concurred with the executive secretary.

They said that if government increased its budget spending by 10 per cent, it would boost food production, fight poverty, and boost the revenue base of the nation.

Mrs Kasuwa Nathaniel, said: “We are here to celebrate our day and we are happy that the state government, through the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Mary Enwongulu, has made the day a reality for us.

“Our appeal is for the government to increase the agricultural budget so as to tackle poverty.

“The present hardship the nation is facing would fade away as agriculture is one of the ways that the nation can boost the economy in order to get out of recession,” she said.

Another woman, Mrs Halima Abu, also urged the government to increase agriculture budget to encourage food sufficiency.

She also urged the government to initiate projects that would have positive effects on the lives of rural dwellers for the overall development of the country.

The event also featured different women wearing T-Shirts advocating 10 per cent increase in agricultural budget.

NAN reports that the theme for this year’s IWD is: “Be Bold for Change”. (NAN)

AKW/MOL/MST

Edited by Mustapha Lamidi/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Environment

WSSCC wants improved funding for sanitation and water

NAN-AE-7
Funding
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, Feb. 14, 2017 (NAN) Ms. Priscilla Achakpa, National Coordinator, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) Nigeria, on Tuesday called on all tiers of government to budget adequate funds for water and sanitation projects.

 

She made the call while, speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the Capacity Building Workshop for Society for Water and Sanitation members in Abuja.

 

Achakpa said that it was saddening to note that sanitation was not given any consideration in the budgets of the governments, thereby promoting diseases and open defecation practice.

 

She stressed that Nigeria ought to reduce its disease burden through improved access to potable water and basic sanitation, saying that this could be attained through deliberate and sustained funding.

 

She said that it was an undisputable fact that the lack of potable water and basic sanitation promoted water-borne diseases and preventable deaths, especially among under-five children.

 

“At the moment, sanitation is one of the key areas that have not been budgeted for at the federal, states and local government levels.

 

“Once it concerns the issue of budgeting, nothing is being budgeted for sanitation; everything is about water but you cannot talk about water without sanitation, just like you cannot talk about sanitation without water.

 

“So, we are saying that the three tiers of government in Nigeria need to put in more funding and make adequate budgetary allocations for water issues because water is life.

 

“If we don’t have water, it means that we cannot survive in this life; we see other countries going through famine and we know what that means, the absence of water results in famine.

 

“In a famine situation, we see both animals and human beings dying but we don’t need to get to that level.

 

“We need to put our house in order, which means that Nigeria must enact policies and actions that will address Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) issues in the country, while trying to meet the targets of Goal 6 of the SDGs,’’ she said.

 

She said that since Nigeria was a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it was imperative for the Federal Government to begin to implement programmes and policies that would engender an inclusive society.

 

Speaking on the Partnership for Extended Water and Sanitation (PEWASH) programme which was recently launched, Achakpa said that the FG should to unpack it, insisting that the programme looked like a presidential fiat when it was launched.

 

She underscored the need for the Federal Government to develop an action plan and implementation timelines for the PEWASH programme, while considering Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as active partners.

 

“Majority of the stakeholders say they were not involved in the PEWASH programme and that it is driven by few partners in the country, but the programme ought to be subjected to all states, so that they can buy into it,” she said.

 

NAN reports that Nigeria is committed to ending open defecation by 2025, through a roadmap that was launched a few years ago.

 

Goal Six of the SDGs focuses on ensuring access to water and sanitation for all by 2030 but a large number of people, mostly children, still die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. (NAN)
TAK/KOLE/OOK
=============

Edited by Remi Koleoso and Dayo Komolafe

 

Economy

Sokoto State 2017 budget passes second reading at Assembly

Sokoto State 2017 budget passes second reading at Assembly

NAN-H-48

Budget

By Muhammad Nasir Bello

Sokoto, Jan. 4, 2017 (NAN) The Sokoto State 2017 appropriation Bill of about N 204.3 billion has passed second reading at the State House of Assembly.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this followed a motion moved by Assembly’s Deputy Leader, Alhaji Kabiru Ibrahim (APC-Kware).

NAN also reports that the resolution followed the members’ debate on the general principles of the 2017 budget proposal submitted by Gov. Aminu Tambuwal to the Assembly.

Ibrahim said: “The Assembly do debate on the general principles of the 2017 budget address delivered by the state governor to the tune of N204,288,362,741.00.

“This is for the purpose of making provision for the services of Sokoto State in respect of the financial year ending Dec. 31, 2017,” the deputy leader said.

In the same vein, during the debate, the lawmakers appreciated the State Executive Council’s commitments for the 2016 budget execution and the presentation of the 2017 budget proposal.

They pledged to ensure that all leakages in the fiscal policy were blocked and revive the agricultural, education and health sectors as well as minerals resources exploration to improve the economic growth of the state.

After the members unanimously adoption the motion, the Deputy Speaker, Alhaji Abubakar Magaji (APC- Bodinga North), who presided over the plenary, referred the bill to the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation for further legislative processes.

“The committee is to report back to the Assembly on Jan. 26 for the conclusion of legislative processes,” Magaji said.

Meanwhile, the Assembly has resolved to send a letter of commendation to Tambuwal for his “visionary 2017 budget proposal for the state”. (NAN)

MNB/BRM/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola