Basin Authority explores partnership with Community Farms

The Cross River Basin Development Authority, CRBDA, has agreed to explore a partnership opportunity with an integrated agriculture farm to train youths on livestock and greenhouse farmings.

The farm is known as Usiere Obong Farms, situated in Ikot Nakanda, Akpabuyo local government area of Cross River State, southern Nigeria.

Bassey Mkposong, the Managing Director of the basin authority, gave Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, who was on a working visit to organisation, a guided tour of the farms.

Exploring possibilities

Walson-Jack inspected the administrative buildings, lecture halls, grain and oil mills, as well as the sections for fisheries, piggery, green house area and poultry with its hatchery.

After her inspection, the Permanent Secretary stated, “we have had a tour of the farm and the facilities we have seen are quite interesting. We are happy to see that a lot of investments have been made. We are looking forward to see how we can partner to ensure that this facility is put to good use; and that the benefit for the community and the larger Cross River State would be fully realized.”

Asked about when the partnership would commence with the private community farm, Walson-Jack stated, “our being here is the beginning of the road to that journey. We will go back, get all the details; get all the inputs from all the key stakeholders and then we will look at what can be done and we will get to doing it.”    

She however expressed appreciation to the community, the Ikot Nakanda youths in particular for protecting the multi-million naira agriculture facilities in the farm during the ENDSARS protest from vandals.

Facilitating partnership

After the tour, Bassey Mkposong, the Managing Director of the Cross River Basin Development Authority, said that the decision to visit the facility was to honour the invitation of the community in pursuit of a partnership.

Mkposong reasoned, “getting to a facility like this, which had been somebody’s dream lie wasted, and within a community where the people have taken care of the facility, it reminds one of when this place was functioning even though I was not in Cross River at the time. I heard about the farm and thought it was fantastic”.

He averred, “Over the years, even though the facility was moribund, the community kept it intact. So, we cannot deny the community that opportunity they so desire. If we revamp this place, it will be better for us to get our teeming youths from the creeks engaged. Then you know the State, region and country would come out better for it”.

Creating opportunities

Earlier, Mr. Emmanuel Effiom, the Secretary of Akpabuyo local government area and Mr. Bassey Okon who spoke on behalf of the traditional ruler of the area, urged the Nigerian Government through the Ministry of Water Resources to revamp the farm for use as a training facility for its youths and others across the country.

Effiom stated, “this day is important for the people of Akpabuyo because we have been waiting for a time like this when the Nigerian Government will come in and see how this edifice can be revived so that the purpose for which it was built could be realized.”

“The youths of this community protected this facility from violent protesters and when it was functional, many young people were gainfully employed, created wealth and then the road was graded for evacuation of farm produce,” he stated.

The community promised the Permanent Secretary of the youths’ readiness to continue to protect the farm equipment and government official, who would be working at the facility.

Dominica Nwabufo