Acting Secretary of the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mr. Ibe Prospect Chukwuemeka, has challenged extension agents in the FCT to bring their expertise to bear in the delivery of their services to farmers as part of efforts to boost food production in the territory.
Mr. Ibe made the call during an assessment visit to the Agriculture Development Project (ADP) office in Gwagwalada, where he met with officials of the project.
He reminded them of their crucial role in helping to actualise government’s desire to attain food security, adding that the agricultural land space in the FCT holds a lot of potential for job creation and poverty alleviation which the FCT Administration is determined to harness.
“Let me reiterate that the FCT Administration is not unaware of the strategic role that you as trained extension agents are playing and I assure you that it will continue to do everything within its power and resources to expose you to new ideas that will enable you perform your duties better,” he said.
He added that the administration is determined to ensure the availability of food for FCT populace all year round and has already articulated programmes that would guarantee smooth operations of the extension agents in both the wet and dry seasons.
The acting director of the ADP, Mr. Fidelis Nwokedi, assured the acting secretary of the preparedness of extension workers, most of whom, he said, have been deployed to the various farming communities, to continue to offer excellent services to farmers.
