Rivers Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, on Wednesday, inaugurated a 5-man task to undertake the immediate reviving of the State Government-owned Songhai Farms with a charge on them to deploy their technical capabilities to ensure that the moribund agriculture facility was fully recovered.
Speaking during the inauguration, which took place at the Government House, Port Harcourt the Governor said that diversifying the economy of the Rivers State had become inevitable because of the need to solve the problem of food shortages while also providing jobs for the teeming unemployed youths of the state.
He explained that the problems of youth unemployment and food shortages were the reasons why great care was taken to critically look at the prospects of revitalising the Songhai Integrated Farms, which is located in Bunu Tai, in Tai Local Government Area of the State.
Gov. Fubara insisted that if the problem associated with food shortages is tackled with good intent and purpose, about 40 to 50 percent of current economic hardship plaguing the country and its people would have been solved.
He disclosed that it took him time to approve the constitution of the task force because of the ugly experience with the previous group that displayed lack of interest.
The task force which is headed by Mr Biedima Oliver also has the Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Engr Victor Kii; Commissioner for Finance, Barrister Emmanuel Frank-Fubara as members, as well as Dr Ayebaesin Beredugo; and Mr Maurice Ogolo.
Governor Fubara stated that a process was initiated and driven halfway onto the handing over of Songhai Farms on concession to an interested partner who later showed a total lack of the needed capacity to undertake such task.
He said, “As a matter of fact, if few of you could remember, we even conceded the place to an investor who came in after he had made his presentation, and we, believing that he had the capacity, we said okay to him, and we had already signed up.
“But something happened. He came back to tell us that he wanted us to give him a N5billion bank guarantee. We then asked him, why? If we have the N5billion, why do we need you to come and revitalize Songhai Farms? We would have put that N5billion there ourselves. For that reason, we cancelled that arrangement.”
He said that under the current arrangement, two separate companies have come together to indicate interest and given the assurances of having the needed capacity to drive the process and that he was delighted to see them meeting that expectation.
Governor Fubara pointed to the expectation of the people who want to see the Songhai Farms back on stream on a sustainable basis. That expectation, he insisted, is also what his administration wants to see actualised within its lifespan.
He noted, “We want to see food sufficiency, because we know when Songhai Farms comes on board, there will be food, which is one of the problems we are having in this country. If we are able to tackle the issue of food, 40 to 50 percent of our problem will be solved.”
Governor Fubara also stated that although he believed in the presentation made by the group and had taken their assurances to heart, warned that he would not tolerate a repeat of what happened before.
The Governor said, “I hope your story will not end halfway too. I hope you have the capacity and all the technical knowhow to handle it. It is not when we start now, after we had finished inaugurating the task force, you will come back to tell us that you need $2million. If we have $2million, we won’t need you. We will invest it by ourselves.”
He however, praised the capacity of the Chairman of the task force, Biedima Oliver, saying that incidentally, he was one of the personnel that convinced the then administration to develop the Songhai Farms and had worked with the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) to manage the project.
“He knows and understands the workings of Songhai, and now that we are making you the chairman of the task force, we want to believe that you will make that place come back to life.
“I don’t have any doubt in your capacity. A few things you’ve touched, you turned them to gold. Please, bring it back to what we used to see in Songhai. Bring it back with the help of your committee,” Gov. Fubara urged.
He assured that his administration would remain committed to providing all the necessary support that they might require to make their assignment a success.
He added, “Your task is very simple: Do everything within your powers and with our support to make sure that Songhai becomes operational to the benefit, not just the people of Tai, but to the entire Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole”.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Task Force to Supervise the Revitalisation of Songhai Farms with Vitalcrop Ventures Limited and Imagine Adama Limited, Mr. Biedima Oliver, expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the opportunity and confidence reposed in them to revive Songhai Farms.
Mr. Oliver assured that they would deliver the expected goal on Songhai Farms, and do so on time and target so that the good people of Rivers State can eventually be happy and also benefit from the huge investment.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
