JOSHUA OMOLOYE
Senator (Prof) Nora Daduut (Plateau South) in this interview said Nigeria as a nation can become great if every potentials of agriculture could be harnessed and the teeming youth and women population is engaged. This, she said will reduce drastically youth restiveness, restore core values. She promised her support for Plateau State governor through massive empowerment programmes.
Excerpts.
Why do you chose agriculture as mainstay of your empowerment programme?
As a Senator representing the people, I have the people at heart; their needs, their concerns and of course, their challenges. I know what their challenges are, so I have to look into them by way of giving my attention towards their yearnings. In doing this, I first of all took into consideration the youth and women. So, I was motivated mainly by the concerns of the youth who are our future generation. Secondly, I was also motivated by the fact that my senatorial district is agricultural based. About 70% of the population is engaged in agriculture. Farming, as you know, is the major means of earning a living. I have to go into searching for agricultural implements, which I did. I gave out about 442 sprayers, a number of power tillers to till the soil. I made sure I went into giving out certain Sustainable Development Goals, SDG special interventions like motorbikes, tricycles, sowing machines, grinding machines that will help small businesses to make sure they get something at least to sustain them. If you are not able to farm, you could do small businesses by using these sowing machines, grinding machines and the like. This is where I am and I want to continue in the bid.
Can you quantify this in monetary terms?
Well, money wise, you can’t quantify because it is resource intensive and extensive too. You know when we have some interventions, you have to facilitate, but you have to go and look for them. On my part , my contribution is towards sourcing for these interventions. Of course, the financial implications are there, I cannot quantify it. But it is not something you would want to say you have lost. What we do as senators, when you get some interventions, you only facilitate in the movement of the items, in logistics for the beneficiaries to go to where you will give them. Certainly, some risks will be taken in the process of movement; anything you have to move you must pay for it.
The women and youth that you focus attention on, do you give them any training on how to use these implements before handing them over to the beneficiaries?
As I sad earlier, most part of the population in my senatorial district is involved in farming activities. They have been farming for ages and this farming activities are being passed on from generation to generation. It’s not a question of been trained, but I’m thinking that the modern equipment will facilitate and enhance their economic status because it increases their capacity. Instead of using the manual means of tilling the land, I have provided power tiller, which they can operate. It’s like a mini tractor, therefore it will increase their capacity and increase their agricultural productivity.
Coming from the academics into politics, have you been able to acclimatize and sponsor any bills?
Sure, I’m on it, going into the second reading. Again, it’s on agriculture because I know that is the major identity of my people. I’m working on it. It’s on Agricultural Research Centre
If you complete this tenure and re- elected. What will be your focus for qualitative representation?
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Well, you can’t please everybody. What I have done cannot reach everybody and will never reach everybody, but I will try to do my best to reach as many as I can with what I’m doing. Some are not happy (those who got nothing), while those who got something are happy. You see, we have two sides of the coin; one is happy the other is not, but as I said , I’m not giving up. I will do my best to reach as many as I can. It is not because I want to come back, no, no. I’m interested only in uplifting the livelihood of my people. Even if they say I should come back, that is not me talking. Let them say what they are saying, I know why I’m here. I’m here by the grace of God through the support of the APC government and my governor. Therefore, I don’t want to let him down. I want him to be proud of what I’m doing so that if I leave the office they will say this woman that was supported by the governor has done well and expect whoever is coming do better. That is where I’m.
