The re-introduction of Agricultural Science to students and pupils of Anambra State in a more practical way through the Agricultural Educational Training Programme, AETP, being championed by Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board, ASUBEB, is an initiative that should be handled with all seriousness.
The AETP facilitated by the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, and ASUBEB, if given the attention it deserves can contribute to a reasonable extent in reducing the food insufficiency ravaging the Nigerian nation today.
The AETP exposes young school children to practical sessions on various aspects of agricultural practices like crop farming, poultry, fish farming and their likes providing requisite skills and inspiring entrepreneurial interest in them.
This initiative will help capture the children early and inculcate in them interest in agricultural activities, as well as equip them with functional entrepreneurship knowledge and life skills, promote dignity of labour among the children, thereby nipping in the bud the unbridled quest for quick riches which is notorious among Nigerian youths today. The desire for quick acquisition of wealth has lured many Nigerian youths into destiny-destroying ventures such as cyber and advanced fee fraud popularly known as “Yahoo Yahoo”, “yahoo plus”, “okeite” and all what nots. The days of little beginnings no longer appeal to today’s youths.
It seems every youth these days wants to start big but with the reintroduction of Agricultural Educational Training Programme to young school children at the basic education level can help re-orient their mindsets towards acquiring wealth through hard work.
The AETP programme which is commencing in Anambra State is made possible because Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s clearance of three years backlog of the state’s counterpart funding .
This, as well as the provision of coconut and palm seedlings distributed last year to households, schools, and government office premises across the state, will provide food as well open channels of income for those who engage in it during harvest time.
In addition to AETP, every household should endeavour to engage in homestead farming (ugbo azu uno), putting every available land into agricultural use. As parents engage in homestead farming they should not forget to carry their children along teaching them agricultural education from the home’s perspective and when combined with the one from school will go a long in giving the youngsters a total new mindset about agriculture.
However, these suggestions do not in any way encourage the abandonment of farm lands outside homes.
With the over 200 million people living in Nigeria, AETP and homestead farming will not be able to guarantee food sufficiency in the country unless Nigerians continue to engage in large scale farming as they used to before the emergence of farmers/herders clashes which has forced a lot of people out of their farm lands thereby increasing exorbitant cost of food stuffs across the country.
Recently, President Bola Tinubu and state governors, agreed to establish state police in the country as part of measures to check the rising wave of insecurity in the country. This was one of the six high points of an emergency meeting summoned by the President at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, in view of the economic hardship in the country and upsurge of insecurity in different parts of the country.
The President specifically approved the establishment of a committee comprising state governors and representatives of the Federal Government to, among other things, explore modalities for establishing state police.
The President and the state governors also discussed the possibility of improving the numerical strength of forest rangers to train them so that they can keep the country’s forests and borders very safe.
If this agreement is put into action, and security business in Nigeria no longer a political issue, this will help restore farmers confidence enabling them to go back to their farms.
So government at all levels, teachers, parents, community leaders and other stakeholders should endeavour to give AETP all the support it deserves.
Written by QUEEN ANIGBOGU
Comments are closed for this post.