Hunger looms in Anambra
The people and residents of Anambra state shall soon be plunged into acute scarcity of rice and garri.
The looming hunger is the inability of the Anambra state government to pay the counterpart funds of an agricultural programme of the federal government and International Fund for Agricultural Development – Value Chain Development Programme.
The Pond News correspondent in the state investigation revealed today that the state has not paid the counterpart funds for many years running.
This had adversely affected the production of rice and garri in the state.
A source told The Pond News:
“This is the fifth year running since the Anambra Government last paid her counterpart fund for the FGN/ IFAD-VCDP programme.
“The State first paid the counterpart fund of N94.4m in the year 2015, in 2016, it paid N94.8m, due to additional financing between the years 2021 and 2023 the money rose to N118m yearly, meaning that it is owing about N590 million.
“The programme first began with three Local Government Areas of Anambra East, Anambra West and Ayamelum, later Orumba North, Awka North, and finally Orumba South, Ogbaru and Ihiala.”
Anambra state in 2016 had its highest production capacity in rice, under the Governor Willie Obiano administration, with an annual production of 210,000 metric tons of rice.
It was also gathered that staff of FGN/IFAD-VCDP in the State are owed 13 months’ salaries and other allowances, a situation that has negatively affected the work attitude of the workers and by extension programme implementation.
Anambra State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Foster Ihejiofor, when contacted on the reason behind the non-payment of the counterpart fund, simply told reporters to speak with FGN/IFAD-VCDP State Programme Co-ordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Agwucha.
On his part, Agwucha told journalists that the matter was not for public consumption.
In his words, “This matter is not for the press, please.
