The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has refute claims widely reported in the media that Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development failed to attend the recently held Nigeria-US Investment summit in Washington DC.

This was stated in a statement made available to BusinessDay by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The media report was attributed to Alhaji Lamido Sanusi, Emir of Kano who reportedly berated some ministers for not attending the Nigeria/US summit, which the Emir described as a negative pointer to potential investors.

The statement indicated that Ogbeh was not invited to the summit by the organisers, which did not necessitate the minister to be in attendance and seeking clearance from the presidency to attend.

“It is worth reiterating that Ogbeh was in Nigeria attending to his official duties and did not travel to Washington DC with the Federal Government delegation, as he is not one of the government officials that statutorily attend International Monetary Fund IMF meetings,” the statement signed by Tolu Makinde, director of information, FMARD states.

“This explanation is necessary to reiterate the determination of the Ministry to attract foreign investment into the Nigerian agricultural sector in order to attain our national agricultural objectives, as well as correct any wrong perception of tardiness, lack of seriousness or dereliction of duty that the said story is capable of creating in the minds of the public,” Makinde added.

Commercialise Products To Generate Income, Lokpobiri Urges Research Institutes

Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, has advised research institutes to commercialise their research and agricultural products to boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

A statement by the Deputy Director in the ministry, Mrs Julie Osagie Jacobs in Abuja on Wednesday, said the minister made the call during a tour of research institutes at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State.

Jacobs quoted Lokpobiri as saying “commercialisation of research products would ensure sustainability of institutes

He said government alone could not provide the required funding for the institutes, hence the need for them to commercialise their products.

The minister visited the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), National Agricultural Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS) and the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria.

Lokpobiri urged the management of the institutes to partner donor agencies to support them in this regard, saying “if you don’t commercialise, you cannot maximise your potential.’’

The minister commended the achievements of the institutes despite challenges faced over the years.

He emphasised the need for further investment in research and manpower development to enable the country achieve self-sufficiency in food production.

He assured the people of Federal Government’s commitment to revitalise the agriculture sector and government’s continuous support to farmers through provision of fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides.

The Executive Director NAPRI, Prof. CAM Lakpini, on behalf of other directors of the institutes, informed the minister that plans were under way to partner the private sector to drive the commercialisation process.