Bauchi State House of Assembly has said that it is committed to prioritizing agriculture in order to ensure food security and eradicate poverty in the State.
The Speaker of Assembly Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y Suleiman made the statement when he received members of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Oxfam who paid him an advocacy visit to advance improvement in extension services for small-holder farmers and gender-responsive policies in agriculture on political agenda, in his office, today.
He emphasized on the importance of agriculture as a tool towards poverty eradication and the importance of extension services toward modern agriculture and mechanized farming.
The Speaker commended the Centre for choosing advocacy in agriculture which he said is great step toward poverty reduction in the State.
While assuring the Centre of the continuation of usual robust and mutual cooperation of the State Assembly and open door for the Centre, he pledges that the Legislative Arm will liaise and appeal to the Executive Arm on the need to absorb agricultural extension workers trained in Abuja.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director of the Centre Auwal Ibrahim Musa said that they are in the State Assembly to pay an advocacy visit to advance improvement in extension services for small-holder farmers and gender-responsive policies in agriculture on political agenda.
The Director who was represented by Muhammad Murtala added that as part of Together Against Poverty (TAP) project, the Centre with support from Oxfam, is advocating towards promoting fairer and more resilient food systems that improve the livelihood of women and men small-scale producers in Bauchi and Gombe States.
He recalled that CISLAC had last year met with the Honourable Members of the House in which commitments were made the Chairman House Committee on Agriculture to expand the extension service programme in the State through reintegration of the Bauchi State extension service trainees from the Federal Capital Territory as well as supporting extension service delivery through budgetary considerations within the State’s budget review.
“With a new administration underway, engagements with relevant returning and incoming state actors is imperative to reemphasize the importance of adoption and implementation of policies and practice and increasing citizens engagement particularly of women small-scale producers.” The Director said.
According to him, their visit is also aimed at requesting the Honourable House to build on its earlier commitment by supporting the Centre to achieve its objectives of advancing opportunities for the effective implementation of agricultural development programmes including the adoption and domestication of the National Agricultural Extension Policy as a veritable mechanism for improving the delivery and provision of agricultural extension services to small-holder women and men farmers and improve budgetary allocations to support effective and sustainable implementation of policies, programmes and extension services to women and men small-scale producers in the State.
