Jonathan launches schools agric programme

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan on Monday launched the National Schools Agriculture Programme (NSAP), as part of his administration’s effort to modernise the sector.

Speaking at the occasion at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President said his administration accords a high premium to young people with the hope of identifying potential agriculturists, early.

He observed that practitioners in the agricultural sector were aging and that young people often view farming as an occupation for old and poor people.

Citing various professionals in the field, Jonathan said farming should also be regarded as a white collar job. He explained that the choice of secondary schools in the programme was influenced by facts, which indicated that second school system provides the highest education for Nigerians.

The president said that the government was intent on developing the agricultural along the line of football teams, which has different categories.

He also explained that 12 secondary schools with a combined total of about 4400 students were selected as the pilot for the initiative to ensure that it was successfully implemented, before extending it to the rest schools in the country.

Jonathan revealed that he would be meeting with the students, once in a year, at an annual exhibition to continue to encourage them.

In his address at the occasion, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, described agriculture as one of the most lucrative ventures and therefore stressed the need for young people to participate in it.
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He said: “We need young people in agriculture, we need to put the hoes and cutlasses in the museum where they belong,” adding that Nigeria was the first in the world to implement the e-wallet system to make inputs directly accessible to farmers.

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