Enugu govt assures World Bank on commitment to agric initiative

The deputy governor of Enugu State, Hon.Cecelia Ezeilo, has assured

officials of World Bank Agricultural Project that the State Government

was committed to the ideals of the 12th Commercial Agricultural

Development Joint Implementation Supervision Mission.

The project, she noted, has performed creditably with the

establishment of two functional hatcheries in Enugu State, pointing out

that day-old chick which was sold at N250 before, now cost N100 as a

result of this initiative.
The deputy governor drew their attention the dwindling economic

fortunes of the country, and promised that Enugu State would pay the

outstanding counterpart contribution of N634,400,000.00 as soon as the

financial resources of the State and that of the nation improved.

She also pleaded with the World Bank to extend the tenure of the

projects by two years to enable the benefiting States to consolidate

on the modest achievements made.
In his response to the speech, the Acting National Project Coordinator

of the project, Mr. Sanusa Garba, stated that the project which was

being implemented by the federal Government and the World Bank in five

states of the federation, namely, Enugu, Cross River, Kaduna, Kano and

Lagos States, was aimed at improving commercial agriculture so as to

increase the living standards of the poor masses.
He then advised the state government to consider paying the

counterpart fund instalmentally so as not to deny farmers in the State

the enormous benefits derivable from the commercial agriculture

project.