The backbone of any agricultural revolution is access of farmers to modern agricultural inputs, especially fertilisers and seeds. Under ATA, the ministry has replaced the four decades of government’s direct purchase and distribution of fertilisers, which was riddled with corruption and massive rent seeking. The middlemen and rent seekers have now been circumvented and farmers now receive their inputs directly through the use of Electronic Wallet (E-Wallet) scheme for farmers, operated through the use of mobile phones. Within two years, the e-wallet system reached over 8 million farmers, helped to improve the food security of 40 million persons in rural farm households, empowered them and raised their food production. Nigeria is the first country in Africa, and in the world, to develop this system.

Funds from the federal government and participating states are warehoused by the CBN, which automatically credits the accounts of registered agro-dealers after every transaction with farmer beneficiary. This is done through SMS messages on farmers’ phones and agro-dealers’ phones. Through this, quantum of inputs has been delivered to millions of farmers across the country since 2012 when the programme came on stream.

Despite its success, GES implementation drew harsh criticisms and condemnation from many analysts, politicians and even scholars who fail to recognise the centrality of food to livelihoods, family savings and social security. Keen followers of Arab Spring would agree that food matters can be quite volatile and inability of nations to meet their food needs can be quite upsetting.

One of the reasons Nigeria has failed to overcome current challenges of food supplies was the failure to bridge the digital divide. Surprisingly, an effort that would have helped farmers overcome this very challenge is grossly misunderstood by many in the elite camp. The power of the cell phone to bridge this gap was harnessed under ATA in the implementation of GES. As a prelude to development interventions for the rural poor farmers in Nigeria, a national farmers’ database was created.

No doubt, this programme experienced some hitches at the beginning, but had been greatly improved upon through regular weekly feedbacks. Those hitches should be expected as in the case of every new innovation. GES is about the most monitored programme under ATA presently as it is subjected to weekly review. To date, nearly 130 weekly meetings have been held since inception of GES. The GES and the accompanying database became handy tools in overcoming the anxiety and uncertainty occasioned by the 2012 flood disaster that swept many farms away and led to failed harvest in affected areas. After the flood, a flood recovery food production plan was drawn up to produce food during the following dry season. What was done on experimental basis in 2012 was such a resounding success that it laid the foundation for what is now being entrenched as an annual food production programme. The farmers registered on GES platform were given free seeds of rice and other crucial supports to produce an unprecedented volume of rice that dwarfed the losses incurred during the flooding. The food balance sheet of Nigeria remained in the positive instead of recording a deficit. No less than 264,000 metric tonnes of rice was produced during that dry season supported by the federal government. It began with ten states in the northern Nigeria in 2012, but -due to interest and farmers’ demands – has been expanded to cover over 20 states as at 2013/2014 dry season.

Confirming the practicality of GES, Tureta chronicled how the increase in rice production came about and where rice, for instance, is produced, saying, “In terms of rice production in Sokoto state, I think we rank very high. We have local governments like Kebbe, Tambuwal, Wurno, Silame, Kware,Wamakko and Goronyo that produce rice in large quantity.” He expressed confidence that “the whole state can rely on these local governments for rice.”

In Tureta’s observation, the rice farmers in Sokoto State are in for good times, saying, “our rice farmers are getting a lot of money. They are comfortable with the way and manner the Agricultural Transformation Agenda is to them. They are being assisted by the federal and state governments so that they produce more.” Expressing his confidence further, the commissioner said, “when you go round, you will see what I am saying.” He showered encomiums on his state government, the federal government and the minister of agriculture, saying “farmers in Sokoto State are really very happy with the minister for his initiatives in agriculture. They are also happy with the governor for giving them all necessary assistance in terms of soft loans. The (state) government is taking responsibility of interest on most of the loans given to them. Farmers are now happy with the present administration. I am happy with the minister and we give him 100 per cent support for what he is doing in agriculture.”

On whether it makes sense to ban importation of rice and whether Nigeria is prepared to produce to meet the local consumption needs, Tureta has this to say, “I am 100 per cent in support of that. I believe our farmers are all ready for that. Give the farmers support and they will deliver. The target of 2015 is realisable in terms of the rice we produce all over the country. We have some states, not only Sokoto State, that are producing rice in large quantity but because they are not being taken care of and there is no coordination, the value is not seen. But when there is coordination all over the states, I believe we can feed our nation.

“We can feed Nigeria, without necessarily bringing rice from outside,” Tureta enthused, “because our farmers are determined. They are ever ready.” In his state, in particular, and in some neighbouring states, he stated, “Look! In some areas here in Sokoto State – not only in Sokoto State, but in Kebbi and so on – we harvest almost three times in a year. When you go round, you will see it for yourself. You will hear from the farmers. When you go to the field, you will talk to them and they will tell you this. So, if they can be encouraged, I assure you the target of 2015 can be realised.”

Tureta also dismissed political sentiment while assessing the reality of rice production in Sokoto, saying, “in terms of food security, there is no politicisation in the area of food production. When you go round, you will see that our people are doing very well,: he pointed out.

“Do you have the yardstick? he asked. “You don’t have the yardstick to measure, but I have,” he responded, pressing home his point, adding that, “when it is time for going to Mecca, you see our farmers. They are the first people to pay for their seats for hajj. Go and see some of them using flashy cars. They don’t have any other business apart from farming. Their children are well fed, and they wear the best clothes and so on.” The improved welfare and increased purchasing power “will show you that our farmers are doing well,” Tureta volunteered, adding that, “definitely, the productivity is really increasing, not decreasing. So, forget about politics. The minister is doing very well. People are seeing a lot of changes in our way of life. We are happy with the way and manner we are being taken care of. The state government and federal government are doing very well in assisting the farmers. When this assistance continues to come, Nigeria will be self-sufficient in food production. That is our target. “The dry season farming introduced by the federal government and supported by the states,” he indicated, has set off a revolution, using high yielding varieties (FARO 44 and FARO 52) of rice which have helped to improve their productivity. In his observation, “Nigeria will surprise the world if the current agricultural policies are sustained.”

Nasarawa is another proof of the synergy between the federal and state ministries of agriculture. According to Madaki Danladi Usha, a former legislator and current Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources in Nassarawa State, there is a collaboration with the federal government and encourage farmers to tap from such a collaboration. As he told ThisDay on 15 July 2014, “the GES is one example, which the state government is participating fully. In my state, we have very good relationship with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. The director of the federal ministry of agriculture in the state has been making efforts on how the state government will collaborate (so) much (and) to see that we involve the federal government to match. We can only involve the federal government as much as the state is involved. If the state is not interested, at the end of the day, we will be running the government at a loss to the federal government.”

Not only that, when he came, the commissioner discovered that people only did rainy season farming. I decided to encourage dry season farming.” He added: “The governor has agreed with me on that instead of involving ourselves, with money, constructing a new dam, we decided to mechanise farming practices around the dam we have in Doma so that farmers will go there and have their dry season farming, which is part of the federal government programme.”

He felt that the government had taken measures towards that and farmers were made to enjoy the facility, with fertiliser made available to the farmers. “Not only that, we are one of the only two states with a pilot programme of processing rice plants in Nigeria, the other being Niger.”

This is yielding results! Nassarawa State commissioned its own rice mill last year, in which the people were trained on how to process rice. So, at present the state has about two prominent farms , that is: Olam and that of Azara axis.

The commissioner added: “In the last three months, farmers benefited from loans from Bank of Agriculture and soft loans were given to them. We are also considering some youths who are ready to go into such business, especially as it applies to dry season farming so that they could be given incentives to enable them invest and be on their own. We want people to be entrepreneurs, so that they could be on their own instead of overloading the government on office jobs.”

He added: “When you go into the history of rice production as far back as when we were in Plateau State, you would know that even the production came from the present Nassarawa State. Nassarawa State is one of the states that boost the morale of the federal government in terms of rice production. The programme manager of NADP knows better. Now that this plant has been commissioned, they will further educate our farmers on how to process quality rice and packaging. And that one will discourage importation because most of our farmers in Nassarawa State are involved now in the local rice production.”