Politicians hijacked fertilizer distribution to farmers in Northern C'River, ADP Boss

By Kanjal Godshiel 

The Zonal Manager of Cross River Agriculture Development Project, (ADP), Mark Ewa says political office holders in the state hijacked the distribution process of agro inputs to eligible farmers in the zone. 

He said as strategy to destabilise the August 1 nationwide protest, the Federal government, through federal ministry of agriculture had disbursed 5500 bags of fertilizers for distribution to farmers few days to the planned nationwide protest, and to be supervised by the state ministry of agriculture, however politicians in the state hijacked the entire process.

According to him, each local government area in the zone including Ogoja, Bekwara, Obudu, Obanliku was earmarked to have 1000 bags of fertilizer while Yala got 1500 bags in the sharing formula.

Mr Ewa said immediately the fertilizer arrived the ADP office in Ogoja, house of assembly members, commissioners and other state political office holders took over the premises with their security details and took all the fertilizers to their various LGAs, and shared it to political "farmers" who aren't captured in the state as authentic farmers.

"My brother, I had no single say in the entire distribution of the fertilizers to farmers. It was purely a political thing as political office holders hijacked the distribution process and shared the inputs among themselves

"We have data of all farmers in the zone but we were not allowed to use it", he said