The Federal Government has inaugurated
23 governing boards of agricultural research institutes and colleges of
agriculture under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
It also cautioned members of the inaugurated boards to shun
corruption in all its ramifications, while it advised them to make accountability
their watchword.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, who
stated this at the weekend while inaugurating the boards in Abuja, stressed
that research institutes and colleges of agriculture play vital roles in
the development of new technologies, input, storage and distribution techniques
for improved yields and reduction of post-harvest losses.
His said “While Nigeria has achieved significant results in
its bid to grow the sector, we still have a lot of work to do. I want you to
regard your new appointments as a clarion call to service and be partners in
progress.
He stated that since the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development was responsible for developing agriculture the board members
should be change agents.
Chairman of the board of Agricultural Research Council of
Nigeria (ARCN), Adetunji Ajagbe, who spoke on behalf of the board
members, promised prompt service delivery to transform the agricultural
sector, assuring that they would not disappoint the country.
The inaugurated boards include the National Cereals Research
Institute (NCRI), Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), National
Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) and Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria
(CRIN), among others.
Also speaking at the inauguration, Minister of State for the
Environment, Ibrahim Jibril, underscored the need for members to shun
corruption, adding that any acts of corruption perpetrated by board members
would be severely punished.
He urged the boards of parastatals and agencies
to remember the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s zero tolerance for
corruption and other anti-policy practices, adding that government would not
compromise its penalties for culprits.
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