The Delta State Government has announced the hiring of 120 State Livestock Management Officers to resolve herder/farmer conflicts and maintain smooth farming operations throughout the state.
Mr. Val Arenyeka, the Delta State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, stated this on Thursday in Asaba, while encouraging journalists to join in farming to help bridge the country’s hunger gap and improve food security.
Arenyeka noted that concerns of criminality and the herder/farmer crises are the responsibility of the federal government, adding, “As a state, we initially recruited 50 SLMOs and are now engaging an additional 70 officers to monitor farming activities across the 25 local government areas.
He continued, “I believe those involved in the herder/farmer crisis are criminal elements pretending to be herders, and it is up to the Federal Government to tackle these challenges.”
The Commissioner stressed that overcoming the current food deficit and achieving food security required everyone, including journalists, to engage in farming.
He remarked that agriculture has transitioned from manual to technology-driven ways, emphasising that it is Nigerians’ obligation to feed themselves rather than relying on other countries.
Earlier, Comrade Ifeanyi Olannye, Chairman of the Asaba Correspondents Chapel, urged the Commissioner to seek and use all available resources to achieve food security and employment creation, in accordance with the Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E. agenda.
He stated that the state’s empowerment program, through the Ministry of Agriculture, will extend to people active in farming.
