The Federal Government says it requires N2.98 billion to curb the armyworm infestation of farmlands across the country.
Mike Kanu, the Deputy Director, Horticulture, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said this in Abuja at a meeting with Commissioners for Agriculture from the 36 states on Thursday.
He warned that the country might experience food shortage if the menace was not adequately managed.
He noted that the national maize output was currently 10.5 million tonnes, while the demand was 15.5 million tonnes; reflecting a national demand gap of five million tonnes.
Kanu said that the country would engage in massive importation of maize if the armyworm infestation was not curbed on time.
He suggested the use and spraying of organic and inorganic chemicals to stamp out the pest infestation.
“The major host for this caterpillar is maize but it also affects cotton, tomato, groundnut and ginger,’’ he said.
In his speech, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, said that the achievement of self-sufficiency in maize production would continue to be a mirage with the pest infestation.
Mr. Ogbeh said that the spread of the maize disease had negatively affected the poultry industry, which largely depended on maize for the production of feeds.
The minister said that the aim of the meeting was to brainstorm on ways of finding sustainable solutions to the armyworm infestation which had ravaged maize farms in the states.
“It is the state government that owns lands; so we need to tackle this problem to boost agricultural production,” he said.
Mr. Ogbeh, however, said that the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) had pledged to support the country in its fight against the armyworm infestation.
Some state Commissioners for Agriculture, who spoke at the event, confirmed the armyworm infestation in some farms in their states.
They underscored the need to establish chemical distribution and sale centres in different states to enable farmers to have easy access to pesticides.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
