The Kebbi Government has invested the sum of N1.6 billion in the IFAD-assisted Community-Based Agricultural and Rural Development Programme (CBARDP) in the last three years, an officer has said.
The programme is being financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with the federal, states and local government providing counterpart contribution.
The seven benefitting states in the northern part of the country are Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.
?Alhaji Garba Hassan, the Kebbi State Project Officer, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Katsina on Saturday,? said that the government had also disbursed N1 million to each political ward in the state to execute projects of their choice.
Hassan commended the state government for buying into the IFAD-assisted programme and extending it to all local governments and communities in the state.
He said that by so doing, Kebbi? was ahead of the six other states implementing the programme in terms of poverty alleviation and improvement of the livelihoods of the rural poor.
He said that the state government had paid the required counterpart funding and seed money to the programme, leading to its implementation in the 21 local government areas in the state,
Furthermore, he said that the state government was sponsoring projects in 114 village areas against 27 village areas covered by IFAD.
“Kebbi is the first state government to achieve 100 per cent buy-in before? Zamfara and Sokoto. That is why it is ahead of other states and the programme is alleviating poverty among the beneficiaries.’’
According to him, a village area has been re-named Abuja due to the positive impact of the programme in the area, leading? to construction of news houses and other modern facilities.
“There is a village area called Abuja. The people decided to call it Abuja because new houses have been built and other facilities provided by beneficiaries of the programme.
“The programme has helped youths to be self-employed by providing them with water pumping machines and boreholes to irrigate their crops.
“Also, the women beneficiaries? have set up various enterprises such pomade? and soap-making and ram fattening’’
He? further said that an improved variety of cowpea?? and millet introduced to the beneficiaries by the Institute for Agricultural Research, ABU, in collaboration with IITA, Ibadan, was attracting buyers from Niger Republic.
“The programme gave farmers? improved varieties on cowpea and millet which they call `wanke- IFAD’ and `dawa-IFAD’. The farmers tried it and found it to be high-yielding and they have abandoned the old variety.
“Many people from Niger come to Kebbi to buy `wanke-IFAD’ and `dawa-IFAD’ which is in circulation throughout the Zuru area.
“Before, you can only get 0.8 tonne per hectare but now they get 1.4 tonnes per hectare; so it is a commendable achievement.’’
The project officer appealed to IFAD to implement more programmes that would benefit the entire state.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to evolve programme that would alleviate poverty among the less privileged in society.
“There are many people who are jobless; if this kind of programme is introduced, it will reduce the poverty level in the country.’’
According to him, the programme has facilitated the construction of primary and secondary schools, health centres and boreholes .
It has also boosted crop and livestock production with the provision of improved seeds and work bulls, among other support, he said.
Hassan also appealed to the Federal Government to take urgent steps to rehabilitate unutilised dams, such as Bakolori and Goronyo dams, which, he said, were causing havoc in the area.
“The government should rehabilitate these dams and put them to use or concession it to an entrepreneur who can rehabilitate it and engage youths to work there.
“For now, these dams are causing a lot of havoc –loss of lives, livestock and crops,’’ Hassan said.