Fashola decries postponement of FAAC meeting at agric show

Fashola decries postponement of FAAC meeting at agric show

Thursday, October 16, 2014 7:24 pm



Kazeem Ugbodaga

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has decried the postponement of the Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting which was to hold today over insufficient funds in the Federation Account to pay States their monthly allocation.

Fashola, who spoke at this year’s World Food Day celebration/Agric Value Chains Empowerment at the Johnson Agiri Agricultural Complex, Agege, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria said he got a call before he came to the event that the FAAC meeting had been postponed due to insufficient fund in the federation account.

Some of the items presented to fish farmers by Governor Fashola

Some of the items presented to fish farmers by Governor Fashola

“As I was coming to this event, I received a message that the monthly Federal Allocation Accounts Committee, FAAC, meeting where states know how much the country earns in the last 30 days was postponed. It was at FAAC meeting that the money is distributed among the three tiers of government-Federal, State and Local governments.

“The meeting, which was scheduled to hold in Enugu State today was postponed because there was no enough money in the federation account. That is where the economy of the country is today; that was the reason I said that there is no government that can function effectively without well structured tax system.

Fashola at the agric empowerment programme

Fashola at the agric empowerment programme


“So if we are to wait for the monthly federal allocation, we will not be able to provide the dividends of democracy to the residents of Lagos State. It was through the money we realized from taxes that we used to provide the empowerment materials for the residents of the state,” he said.

The governor stated that the empowerment of 3,149 farmers was to ensure that persons who were unemployed could begin business of their choice.

Fashola stated that if the farmers wanted democracy to be effective, in the next election, they should vote for the All Progressive Congress, APC, and protect their votes, saying that this economy must remain inclusive so that democracy would continue to improve.

“We do not measure the economic progress in our state by the number of billionaires and owners of private jets which exclude many in the country. But we measure ours by the number of ordinary people in the society. These are people who produce small products, render services that give them honest income and puts food on their table. With all these, we are raising new entrepreneurs and tackling unemployment in the state,” he added.

Lagos agric empowerment

Over 6,000 farmers and others gathered at the Johnson Agiri Agricultural Complex, Oko-Oba, Agege, to celebrate the day, with the Agric Value Chains Empowerment where the farmers were empowered. The theme of this year’s World Food Day is Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth.

There were 19 Agric Value Chains in which the people were empowered. These include Egg production, poultry farming, feeding milling, aquaculture, fish production, pepper soup sellers, artisanal fishing, pig farming, sheep and goat farming, meat production marketing, vegetable production, horticulture, cassava, rice production and coconut processing.

Those in the agric value chains of egg production were giving battery cage, 120 point of lay bird, 20 bags of growers mash and 28 bags of layers, while those in the artisanal fishing were giving outboard engines, bundle nets, among others.

Other items to be distributed are eggs, cattle, coconut seedlings, fingerlings, smoking materials for fish processing, rice seeds, fertilisers, among others.

Speaking at the event, Commissioner for Agriculture, Prince Gbolahan Lawal said with the provision of necessary infrastructure, introduction of modern farming technology and extension services in the state’s established farm settlement, estates and other farms across the state, it was critical that these categories of farmers and marketers be giving incentives through the provision of input and expanded market.

“The goal of this year’s event is to share prosperity, hence this Agricultural Value Chains Empowerment,” he said, adding that 3,149 farmers would be empowered in line with value chains they belonged.


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