By Haliru Idris
The management of The Herald Newspapers has pledged support for the Kwara State Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) project as part of efforts to deepen public awareness and promote agricultural development across the State.
The commitment was made when officials of the SAPZ project paid a media engagement visit to the corporate head office of the State-owned newspaper in Ilorin.
Welcoming the delegation, the General Manager of The Herald, Yomi Adeboye, stressed that communication remains the most critical ingredient for the success of any developmental initiative.
According to him, “after setting up your offices and other structures, there are three things needed; communication, communication and communication.”
He noted that organisations are ultimately judged by their impact on the people they serve, adding that no programme can succeed if it fails to carry the people, who are the end users, along.
“You are as good as what you can do because you are working for the people and there is no way you can extricate the people from what you are doing,” he said.
Adeboye particularly commended the project’s focus on agro-processing, describing the lack of protection for local producers as one of Nigeria’s biggest agricultural challenges.
He lamented a situation where local entrepreneurs invest in processing facilities only to be confronted by mostly inferior imported products competing unfairly with locally produced goods.
“For instance, somebody is processing tomatoes into paste and if you allow someone to import an inferior product, you are killing local enterprise. If there is unfair competition for local farmers and processors, they cannot succeed and, of course, your efforts would have gone in vain,” he said.
He urged the project team to break down and simplify information about the initiative to ensure that it reaches communities across the State and the real farmers who stand to benefit from it.
While reiterating that The Herald belongs to the people, he stressed that journalism remains a public service and is best suited for highlighting the importance of agriculture to human existence as virtually everything people use daily is directly or indirectly linked to agriculture.
“Things we wear, clothes, shoes, the chairs we sit on and even some components of our motor vehicles are products or by-products of agriculture. Agriculture is important and we cannot wish it away.”
He commended renewed government attention to the sector after years of neglect and expressed concern over the enormous post-harvest losses recorded across the country.
“The success of projects like this is best measured by the impact on real practitioners and real farmers. We at The Herald are ready to work with you,” he added.
The General Manager also proposed sustained public enlightenment campaigns through The Herald’s print and digital platforms to improve awareness of the SAPZ initiative among Kwarans.
Earlier, the State Project Coordinator of the Kwara SAPZ project, Engr. Dr Busari Taiye-Isola, said the initiative was designed to eradicate post-harvest losses in crop and livestock production while stimulating agro-industrial growth and rural development.
Dr Taiye-Isola disclosed that the project is currently being implemented in eight states across the country, with participating states focusing on value chains that align with their comparative advantages.
He explained that Kwara State’s intervention is largely centred on livestock development, with Malete serving as the major hub of activities, while additional project locations have been established in Kaiama, Baruten, Asa and Ifelodun Local Government Areas.
The coordinator revealed that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq chairs the project’s Steering Committee, describing it as the first time a governor would directly chair the implementation structure of such a major agricultural intervention programme.
According to him, the governor follows the activities of the project closely and remains actively involved in its implementation.
Dr Taiye-Isola said the five-year project is jointly funded by the Kwara State Government and the Islamic Development Bank and is aimed at building sustainable infrastructure that will create opportunities for youths and women while improving food security and economic development.
Also speaking, the Livestock Specialist of the project, Mr Ambali AbdulFatai-Lekan, explained that the decision to focus on livestock in Kwara was informed by the State’s comparative advantage in the sector and the need to strengthen the entire value chain from production to processing and marketing.
He disclosed that the project is developing biodiversity management and pest management plans as part of measures to guarantee sustainability and environmental protection.
Similarly, the Infrastructure Engineer, Engr. (Dr) Ariyo Ezekiel, spoke on plans to provide critical infrastructure capable of supporting agro-processing activities and reducing post-harvest losses in project locations.
The SAPZ delegation also included Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mr Soyedare Ayoola, alongside other members of the project implementation team.
Members of The Herald management present at the meeting were the General Manager, Mr Yomi Clement Adeboye; the Corporation Secretary, Mr. Olatayo Olabode; the Chief Finance Officer, Mr Mohammed Kudu; the Circulation Manager, Mr Garuba Issa Bolakale; the Acting Production Manager, Mrs Aliyu Jumoke; the Acting Advert Manager, Mr. Labaika Rasaq; and the Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Adeyemo E.O.
