Lagos, Kebbi Lake Rice: Attention Ibom Rice Project
The month of August 2016 has gone into history to mark a significant milestone in the life of Udom Emmanuel’s administration in demonstrating its willpower the commencement to foster and nurture its five point agenda for the implementation of agro industrial economy in Akwa Ibom State. The Ibom rice farm project, an exclusive investment driven concept of an international interest is one passion which would create job and wealth, drive our economy, and attract the teeming youthful vigor to contribute to the development of national economic growth. It was through this vision and in abundance of the natural potentials endowed in the state that, Ashdene Associates, the promoters of the international investment conglomerate for the Ibom Rice field project in Ini local government area, wishing to transform into multi -million Dollar investment, but four months after necessary documents have been exchanged, the citizenry is still expectant to see real actions at sites to actually cultivate what was projected and proposed into reality. A visit to the site bears nothing significant in demanding seriousness on the parts of interested parties involved including the government. From all indications, the site is still drowsy, serenading in the misfortune of age long neglect. The Ibom rice farm has over the years been the child of circumstantial neglect perpetrated by poor leadership and less visionary leadership in the state , a subject of comatose investment misdirection such adopted by the regional Niger Delta Development Commission –NDDC , through their initial interventionary measures the involvement of a Norwegian investment interest ,which afterall was marred by belligerent and business arrangement , nonetheless political interference , the abduction of an expatriates which finally knelled the ruins of the rice field .
The resurgence of Udom Emmanuel administration’s interest on the handover of the rice field to potential investors- Fujian South Dynasty Industries /Ashdene Associates, a Singaporean investment group- to navigate and reroute the Ibom rice field brand into international circuit was a welcome development in securing the future and generation of Akwa Ibom state, to rebrand our consciousness into agriculture and reverberate our potentials to the clamor of others.
Other states such as Lagos and Kebbi have taken the lead in rice production because of the transparent gesture of their leadership as evidently witnessed. It would therefore be expected of Akwa Ibom state government to take a cue from this direction and look beyond political rhetoric by keeping its promises for sustainable economic development such which involves the Ibom rice farm development.
It has been confirmed that the 17.4 kilometer road network which stretches the span of the rice farm is immotorable , and based on this premise, the investors and Akwa Ibom state government during the signing of the MOU did agree to fund the construction of the road project with an equity contribution of 50 percent apiece, each party, to aid the investors have unfettered access to the rice field , develop it and commence actual business.
The delay of this project take-off is questionable considering the timeframe of a 14 month limitation initially earmarked, which five months have so far been rendered incongruent, and soon the rain season would set in to further cause a delay. The state government is uneasy to part with its share of 50 percent counterpart funding for the road construction project, is economical with information regarding the true position of things .The rice field project should be the most laudable project cum investment considering the cultivational nature as a priority for job creation and wealth creation. This would include;
Providing over 20 billion Naira of additional income in the hands of the rice farm management and staff, thus stabilizing and bolstering the socio- economic conditions of Akwa Ibom state.
Create over a 150, 000 jobs directly for the rice farm and add 250,000 metric tonnes annually of milled rice to the domestic food supply, thus enhancing the food security of the state.
Encouraging an intervention especially for integration of rural and sub-urban immigration where the creation of jobs is essential in mitigating local civil unrest.
The goal is to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production for Akwa Ibom State in particular and Nigeria in general and complete substitution of imported rice in the years to come. Improving foreign exchange on food imports, diversifying the economy by generating foreign exchange. In a major departure from past approaches, agriculture is now being treated as a business, not a development program which improves the functioning of market institutions and establishing staple crop processing zones to attract private sector into areas of high production to reduce post-harvest losses, adding value to locally produced crops and foster rural economy growth.
The Ibom Rice Farm project should be a matter of National food security and is necessary for the socioeconomic development of Akwa Ibom State in particular and Nigeria in general. The socioeconomic stability of the State and the Nation is essential to securing Nigeria’s oil and Gas industry , a departure from dependency on oil into non- oil derivative- the Agricultural Renaissance of Buhari’s administration, an Agenda for National food priority in recognition of importance of food being the most important aspect of human needs after Shether.
With President Buhari’s commendation of the Lagos and Kebbi States Lake Rice products of “A new era is rising in which we must grow what we eat and consume what we make”.
Governor Udom Emmanuel should look in this direction of our Ibom Rice project for furtherance of sustainable economy development and support investment by living up to the expectation of his contribution of the 50% counterpart funding on the road project to enable the Investors hit the ground going.
We need to thrive to achieve food security in our Nation.
