NAN-AE- 8
Bush burning
By Vivian Emoni
Abuja, Jan. 12, 2017 (NAN) The Society for the Promotion of People’s Right (SPPR), an NGO, on Thursday advised FCT residents against indiscriminate bush burning to prevent the destruction of crops, lives and property.
The President of the NGO, Mr Williams Osaze, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
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“Some careless residents have destroyed crops, lives and property on yearly basis through bush burning.
“This has led to failure on government`s effort toward ensuring food security in the country.
“It is important to ensure that hunters in the country are genuinely registered, so that we can have professional hunters in the country.
“Those that are not registered should be arrested, because they are the ones, who destroy farms and public utilities under the guise of hunting rodents through bush burning.
“The effort will help checkmate the destructive activities of some rural dwellers, who claim to be hunters.
“Apart from hunters, some careless Nigerians also engage in bush burning.
“I want to advise the residents to be mindful of electrical devices to avoid destruction of houses and property.’’
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The president of the NGO said it would be difficult to achieve food security in the country if necessary measures were not put in place.
Osaze said that some of the measures include, building of additional storage facilities where farm products could be preserved.
According to him, agric products are being wasted everyday in the country due to lack of storage facilities.
He urged the Federal Government to take appropriate steps toward making farming attractive to unemployed youths roaming the streets in search of unavailable white collar jobs.
He said the training of interested youths in modern way of farming and ensuring that the right machines were provided at subsidised rates would boost up farming in the country.
He said such measures would improve economic activities in the country and reduce unemployment among the youth.
Osaze said that agriculture remained the sector with the most viable employment opportunities.
He also called on state governments to key into agricultural transformation agenda of the Federal Government. (NAN)
VOE/LAB/YEE
Edited by Lydia Beshel/Emmanuel Yashim
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