The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has charged Local Government Areas and communities in the state to embrace the new Abia agenda on agriculture to achieve food sufficiency in Abia.
Otti gave the charge at the inauguration of the Isuikwuato Agriculture Revolution Program, ISAREP, and Flag off of the 2024 Isuikwuato Planting Season held at Isuikwuato LGA headquarters recently.
He said the inauguration and flag-off of the 2024 Isuikwuato Planting Season is an excellent opportunity to further ramp up support for agriculture as a business.
The Governor, represented by his Special Adviser on Agriculture, Cliff Agbaeze said his administration is on a mission to transform the state and restore its pride in the comity of states.
He added that he has taken giant strides in virtually all sectors to demonstrate his determination to build a new Abia and emphasised that agriculture is a major focus in his transformation agenda.
He commended the leadership of Isuikwuato Consultative Forum, ICF, for the noble ideas that birthed the programme and used the opportunity to appreciate the leader of Isuikwuato Consultative Forum, Chief Ray Nkemdirim and his team and also assured of his full support in their efforts to diversify the economy of their LGA through greater investment in agriculture.
According to Governor Otti, “I urge you to keep it up as I also urge other communities and LGAs to emulate this noble gesture. Coming at this period of national food crisis and emergency, the timing of this program couldn’t have been more auspicious and perhaps, even audacious!”
“I also believe that this inauguration and flag-off will bring about a huge transformation in the way agricultural business is done in Isuikwuato in particular, in Abia State in general and Nigeria at large.
“The government of Abia State strongly believes in the potential of our people; what we need to do is to unlock that potential. Abia State must feed itself and if it unlocks its full agricultural potential, I dare say, Abia State can feed Nigeria”.