Akwa Ibom PDP governorship candidate to revive agriculture

Akwa Ibom is generally known as Nigeria’s leading oil-bearing state because it accounts for more than 30 per cent of the country’s total oil production. However, not many know that the state has more than oil to offer, especially in the area of agriculture.

The Akwa Ibom Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Umo Eno believes there is a need for the state to diversify the economy of the state by going back to agriculture. His blueprint to revive the industry focuses on the following areas: agricultural revolution, rural development, infrastructure maintenance/advancement and educational advancement, otherwise known as the ARISE agenda.

A statement by the Umo Eno Campaign Organisation said the state has been a major producer of cash crops such as yam, cassava, plantain and maize, though producing essentially at the subsistence level. The statement reads: “During the First Republic, it accounted substantially for palm oil production in the then Eastern Region, which made Nigeria the world’s largest producer of the commodity in the pre and post-independence eras.

“The state’s coastline, one of the longest in Nigeria, makes it among the richest in marine life, with the riverine communities engaging predominantly in fishing. A peep into the agriculture component of ARISE shows a comprehensive programme that could turn the sector around if implemented to the letter. A novelty of an Eno administration is his plan to establish a college of agriculture, an institution that would offer training in all aspects of agriculture. The prospect of an Akwa Ibom that brims with agricultural experts to drive the kind of revolution envisaged by the candidate seems quite attractive.

“To actualise the plan, Eno has promised to provide adequate support by way of extension services and capacity building through the Akwa Ibom Agricultural Development Programme (AKADEP). He has also promised to increase access to agricultural credit facilities through the Ibom FADAMA Microfinance Bank, as well as other agricultural credit banks.