By Nakanda Iyadem
The Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC), Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, has disclosed his
agency’s plans to partner Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade’s rice
revolution programme.
Brambaifa disclosed this when he paid a courtesy call on the governor shortly
after a tour of the Ayade Industrial Park, which houses the rice seeds and
seedlings factory in Calabar, yesterday.
Disclosing the object of his visit, the acting NDDC Chair stated: “Your
Excellency, part of my mission to Cross River State is to work with your
government to revive and strengthen existing partnership, as well as find new
areas for collaboration. Of particular interest is agriculture and today, from
what I have seen, we have chosen rice value chain which you have demonstrated
tremendous capacity with modern equipment and a system of farming.”
According to Brambaifa, “As your government has successfully demonstrated,
agriculture remains a goldmine waiting to be fully tapped, away from oil and
gas. indeed, no sector offers a greater opportunity for job and wealth
creation, as well as overall improved living conditions than agriculture.”
Brambaifa further stated that “farming and fishing are the traditional
livelihoods of our people and they offer us a more certain path to sustainable
livelihood and in Cross River today, we have seen digital farming which is what
informs our partnership with the state in this direction.
“This is indeed a good thing I’m seeing in cross River today because if we have
more of this, we will eradicate hunger amongst the ever increasing population
of the country.”
On his agency’s intervention, the NDDC chairman said: “Let me assure that
as an intervention agency, we want to seriously intervene in the area of
hunger, ensure food security and generate employment for our people and we are
starting with rice value chain.
“Let me state here that while I am still chairman of the commission, our main
focus will be poverty reduction and wealth creation and with what we have
witnessed in Cross River, we are going back to our drawing board to see how we
can partner with this hard working, digital governor,” he said.
He reminded the governor that in 2005 the NDDC and the state government
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on poultry and hatchery joint
venture which was designed to ensure availability of day-old chicks and healthy
poultry products, as well as help generate employment and create wealth among
youths and women in the state.
Brambaifa further called on the governor to collaborate with them to revive the
programme which he noted was in line with his economic development agenda,
considering the prevailing economic circumstances.
The Acting MD particularly lauded Ayade for What he described as his critical
role in the development of the region and promised to revisit as well as
reactivate the Niger Delta Development Master plan with a view to rebuilding
partnership for sustainable development forum, as a veritable vehicle for
sustainable development of the region.
Responding, Governor Ayade who described the appointment of Prof. Nelson
Brambaifa as well deserved, appealed to Mr. President to consider the
confirmation of his appointment, given his wealth of experience as a ranking
and renowned professor of pharmacology in the country.
According to the governor, “Cross River State is starting with agro-industry in
our industrialization effort because there is so much benefits in agricultural
value.”
While commending the regional body for the planned re-visitation of the
Development Master Plan, Ayade urged them to ensure that the review reflects
the current socio-economic realities that will ultimately ensure equitable
distribution of the common wealth amongst the sisters states for even
development and job creation.”
He thanked NDDC for the expression of interest to partner the state
in the area of rice value chain, poultry and other agro allied sectors, saying,
“Your duty is to build a mental maturation of all the various complex we have
in the Niger Delta and use the platform of the NDDC to bring us peace, to
create an economic prosperity and equilibrium that allows egalitarian
distribution of income to guarantee us the desired peace.”