From Atiku Sarki, Abuja.
The Executive Secretary of Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Garba Sharubutu has considered insecurity and COVID-19 pandemic as the two major factors currently affecting the activities of agricultural development in the country.
He made this known while presenting some of his Council’s achievements recorded over the years to the members of Agricultural Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ACAN) in Abuja, recently.
He noted that the activities of Boko Haram, Kidnappers, bandits and other criminal
elements as well the COVID-19 pandemic are underline factors contributing to the agricultural development and food security in Nigeria.
According to him, the council which started operation in 2006 with a vision to reduce poverty and improve food security is currently has about 15 National Agricultural Research Institutes and 11Federal Colleges of Agricultural with Board Chairman under them.
The Executive Secretary explained that his council is working hard to ensure that the activities of the council get to the grassroots, adding that by extension each research institute has been mandated to take the development to the rural areas across the country.
While disagreeing with some Nigerians who said that the council research institutes are unshaped, he said the answer is capital ‘No’ stressing that before now the budget to the council was delayed and not release on time for the council to plan ahead and that actually affecting the council to run some of the activities effectively in some years back, but with the present government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has put agriculture a top priority and is given more attention to the council to carry out its mandate.
