DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA
Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, has flagged off free distribution of 800 bags of fertilizer (600 NPK and 200 Urea) to farmers across the 12 wards of the council.
Speaking at the flag off exercise held at Apo Resettlement Town Hall on Friday, Maikalangu disclosed that the 800 bags of fertilizer were donated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the council, through the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
He noted that the fertilizers would encourage agriculture and food security, apart from curbing idleness, even as he warned against selling or diverting the commodity, adding that they must get to the farmers to improve agricultural productivity.
The AMAC chairman said the intervention would further support economic development in the rural communities of the council where 95 percent of farming population lives, adding that the exercise is a way of encouraging the youth to engaged in agriculture activities in order to discourage them from idleness.
He revealed that a standing committee, including security agencies, would be going from ward to ward to ensure that all the selected beneficiaries from the 12 Electoral Wards in AMAC received the commodity.
Also speaking, the Hakimi of Karshi, Ahmed Doka, commended the committee for the distribution exercise, saying their meticulous screening ensured the fertilizers did not get into wrong hands.
Doka said the fertilizers would encourage agriculture and food security, warning that on no count should they be sold by the farmers or found in the market.