South-West Governors Resolve To Embark On Rice Accelerated Program

Governors in the South-West Zone, under the aegis of Western
Nigeria Governors’ Forum, met on Wednesday in Lagos and resolved to
embark on a Rice Accelerated Programme for Integrated Development
(Western RAPID) to further consolidate actions on food security and
job creation in the region.

The governors agreed to commit portions of land to the Lagos
State Government to farm and promote rice cultivation and
production in the region.

Their decisions were contained in a communique issued after the
quarterly meeting which had the theme – ‘Consolidating the Legacy
of Regional Integration’, and read by Mr Oluseye Oyeleye, the newly
appointed substantive Director-General of the Development Agenda
for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission.

The leaders resolved that DAWN Commission, representatives and
agriculture commissioners from each state, should hold a technical
session with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for
Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and develop a state by state roadmap
in four weeks before a Regional Agriculture Summit.

They agreed that the Summit be held in Ibadan in May.

However, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding
MoU on Land Allocation between the western states and Lagos, the
Ogun state government said it would not sign until some issues
between the two states were resolved.

The state’s Deputy Governor, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, who
represented Gov Ibikunle Amosun, said the Lagos State government
abandoned the 1000 hectares of land given to it for its rice
production project.

”Also the Lagos state government defaulted in the remittances of
the taxes of over 23 percent of its workers who reside in Ogun
state.

”The Rice Accelerated Program for Integrated Development is a
laudable project that we support in total but we will sign the MoU
when these concerns are resolved, ” she said.

Reacting, Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode said the idea behind the MoU on
land allocation was to expand the agricultural output of the
state’s rice mill.

Ambode said that the state required 32000 hectares for paddy
cultivation and in the interest of integration, the project would
be beneficial to all the states in the South West.

According to him, Lagos state will be like ‘off-takers’ to the
paddies while the other state will use their people and farmers to
cultivate the land thereby creating employment and wealth in those
states and the region.

”Four other states have actually agreed to sign the MoU. But
what happened with Ogun state is that there are some minor issues
that were outstanding before.

”They could not sign today, but you can also hear them say they
are committed to signing when those issues are resolved. So, four
have signed remaining one state.

”The ultimate goal is that all the western states would sign and
be able to feed into the rice mill that Lagos state is locating in
Imota area of Ikorodu, ” he said.

The governors also agreed that Lagos State be formally admitted
as a member of the O’dua Investment Group.

A shareholding agreement was also signed between the O’dua
Investment Group and the state government.

They also agreed that the states of the region as a bloc would
be monitoring the process for the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport Concession into a world-class infrastructure.

The governors agreed that DAWN Commission should work on
reviving Regional Inter-School Football Competition

They also directed the Commission to conduct a study on the
successes in education recorded in Ekiti State for peer learning
and adoption among the other states.

The host governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, earlier in his opening
remarks, said there was the need for collaboration in tackling
social and economic challenges facing the people.

He said that the need to ensure food security in states in the
west was critical to Nigeria and across the world.

”The whole essence of food security of Western Nigeria is thus
focused on our states maximizing their comparative advantages to
guarantee increased food, jobs creation and the welfare of our
people.

”I believe strongly that it is in the collective rather than
individual action that a greater solution to commonly shared
problems can be found.

”Today, we stand on the threshold of history. Our business in
government is mainly to provide jobs and security for our people.
Our aim is to seek the collective welfare of our people, ” he
said.

The meeting was attended by Governors Abiola Ajimobi‎ (Oyo),
Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Ibikunle Amosun
represented by his deputy, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga (Ogun), Rauf
Aregbesola (Osun) and the host, Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos).

Governors in the South-West Zone, under the aegis of Western
Nigeria Governors’ Forum, met on Wednesday in Lagos and resolved to
embark on a Rice Accelerated Programme for Integrated Development
(Western RAPID) to further consolidate actions on food security and
job creation in the region.

The governors agreed to commit portions of land to the Lagos
State Government to farm and promote rice cultivation and
production in the region.

Their decisions were contained in a communique issued after the
quarterly meeting which had the theme – ‘Consolidating the Legacy
of Regional Integration’, and read by Mr Oluseye Oyeleye, the newly
appointed substantive Director-General of the Development Agenda
for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission.

The leaders resolved that DAWN Commission, representatives and
agriculture commissioners from each state, should hold a technical
session with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for
Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and develop a state by state roadmap
in four weeks before a Regional Agriculture Summit.

They agreed that the Summit be held in Ibadan in May.

However, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding
MoU on Land Allocation between the western states and Lagos, the
Ogun state government said it would not sign until some issues
between the two states were resolved.

The state’s Deputy Governor, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, who
represented Gov Ibikunle Amosun, said the Lagos State government
abandoned the 1000 hectares of land given to it for its rice
production project.

”Also the Lagos state government defaulted in the remittances of
the taxes of over 23 percent of its workers who reside in Ogun
state.

”The Rice Accelerated Program for Integrated Development is a
laudable project that we support in total but we will sign the MoU
when these concerns are resolved, ” she said.

Reacting, Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode said the idea behind the MoU on
land allocation was to expand the agricultural output of the
state’s rice mill.

Ambode said that the state required 32000 hectares for paddy
cultivation and in the interest of integration, the project would
be beneficial to all the states in the South West.

According to him, Lagos state will be like ‘off-takers’ to the
paddies while the other state will use their people and farmers to
cultivate the land thereby creating employment and wealth in those
states and the region.

”Four other states have actually agreed to sign the MoU. But
what happened with Ogun state is that there are some minor issues
that were outstanding before.

”They could not sign today, but you can also hear them say they
are committed to signing when those issues are resolved. So, four
have signed remaining one state.

”The ultimate goal is that all the western states would sign and
be able to feed into the rice mill that Lagos state is locating in
Imota area of Ikorodu, ” he said.

The governors also agreed that Lagos State be formally admitted
as a member of the O’dua Investment Group.

A shareholding agreement was also signed between the O’dua
Investment Group and the state government.

They also agreed that the states of the region as a bloc would
be monitoring the process for the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport Concession into a world-class infrastructure.

The governors agreed that DAWN Commission should work on
reviving Regional Inter-School Football Competition

They also directed the Commission to conduct a study on the
successes in education recorded in Ekiti State for peer learning
and adoption among the other states.

The host governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, earlier in his opening
remarks, said there was the need for collaboration in tackling
social and economic challenges facing the people.

He said that the need to ensure food security in states in the
west was critical to Nigeria and across the world.

”The whole essence of food security of Western Nigeria is thus
focused on our states maximizing their comparative advantages to
guarantee increased food, jobs creation and the welfare of our
people.

”I believe strongly that it is in the collective rather than
individual action that a greater solution to commonly shared
problems can be found.

”Today, we stand on the threshold of history. Our business in
government is mainly to provide jobs and security for our people.
Our aim is to seek the collective welfare of our people, ” he
said.

The meeting was attended by Governors Abiola Ajimobi‎ (Oyo),
Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Ibikunle Amosun
represented by his deputy, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga (Ogun), Rauf
Aregbesola (Osun) and the host, Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos).