Minister advises soldiers to venture into agriculture

Chief Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), has urged officers and men of the Nigerian Army to join other Nigerians and invest in agriculture.
 
Chief Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
Ogbeh who gave the advise while speaking at a sensitisation programme organised by FMARD for the Nigerian Army in Abuja recently said, the ministry would love to see the soldiers participating actively in agriculture production and see agriculture as a business.

“Food security is an integral part of national security; that is why the army, whose mandate is to provide national security, cannot afford to avoid attending to food security.

“Active participation of the army can never be seen as an incursion into an unfamiliar ground but a step in the direction that agrees in principle with one of its core mandate, which is ensuring peace,’’ he said

Ogbeh, who was represented by Mrs. Winifred Ochinyabo, Special Adviser to Ogbeh on Special Projects and General Duties, said the strength of a nation lay in its ability to feed itself, adding that most security personnel are vulnerable in retirement because they were not trained as business people.

He said the ministry decided to enlighten servicemen on the opportunities in agriculture with a view to broadening their knowledge on agribusiness.

Mr. Matthew Owolabi, Director, Irrigation and Crops Development in the ministry, said the sensitization would strengthen them to choose any aspect of agriculture of their interest.

Earlier, the Chief of the Army staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, who was represented by Maj.-Gen. I.R. Nicholas, Chief of Linguistics, said the sensitization would encourage them to fall back to agriculture.

“We will retire to agriculture and we will also contribute to the need of the nation, family and also provide raw materials to the manufacturing companies,” Nicholas said.


NAN

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