By Aplefe Ojong
The penchant for plagiarism by some Nigerians and the high level of bureaucratic bottle necks in the Nigerian administrative and political system has been identified as some of the major factors militating against the development of the huge agriculture endowment of the country.
Coordinator, West African Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) in the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Emmanuel Aging who stated this in his office in Calabar, also posited that inadequate funding of the Universities/other tertiary Institutions, Research Institutions and putting of non professionals in purely professional sectors such as agriculture is equally a factor militating against the development of the sector.
Prof. Aging who is the immediate past Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Science, UNICAL, said that the main objective of the WAAPP program being sponsored by the World Bank is targeted at ensuring food security in the West African Sub-Region, and that Nigeria is two years behind in the 10 years project whose first phase will terminate by 2016, and the second phase will then commence.
He explained that currently there are 25 WAAPP adopted Communities in Akpabuyo in the state, and that, WAAPP-UNICAL is presently authorized to execute projects in the areas of Technology Dissemination, Fishery/Fingerlings Multiplication and Cassava Multiplication, while the Poultry aspect is expected to commence by 2015.
Prof. Aging was emphatic that the way forward for the agricultural sector in the country is for deliberate establishment and sustenance of cottage industries, proper funding of Universities and Research Institutions, and a strong law against plagiarism in the country.
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