NAERLS Establishes e-Extension Dept

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By; SANI ALIYU, Zaria

The National Agricultural Extension and Liaison Services (NAERLS), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria has established an e-Extension Department with full equipment and its take-up the national farmers helpline centre.

Professor Mohammed Khalid Usman, Director, NAERLS made this known at the commissioning of NAERLS gate and Merit Award presentation to hardworking staff of the institute at the weekend.

He said, the Institute has trained 30,000 unemployed youths across Nigeria under the N-Power Agro as well it produced 35,000 copies of training manual which was distributed nationwide.

According to him, NAERLS has conducted 2017 Agricultural Performance Survey (APS) in 36 states and the Federal Capital.

The Director also stated that, they sourced over 100 million credit facilities from ABU Microfinance Bank for small scale farmers in NAERLS adopted village programs.

He said, the Institute national farmers’ helpline centre for value addition service targeting 20 million farmers in 5 years has been utilized.

Professor Usman further said, training and capacity building and certification with access to finance for new generation of farmers targeting one million farmers will be intensified.

Speaking on the commissioning of the NAERLS gate, the Director said is symbolically opening windows of opportunities to the institute in coming years, while the merit awards and distribution of the welfare packages were deliberate and consciously made to encourage staff to work harder towards realization of the institute vision.

The Director described poor and release of capital appropriation NAERLS received only 8% of the approved capital budget in addition to seven months overhead.

While the non-integration of the National farmers helpline centre short of 1442 with the GSM service providers is the only obstacle to the successful operation of the centre to the benefit of millions Nigerian farmers.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor ABU Zaria Professor Ibrahim Garba said, the Agricultural Complex in the University is doing very well and the University will continue to support the complex.

He said, it is an opportunity to be recognized what you are doing by the people, while the importance of agricultural complex is the emphasis considering the economical growth.

Prizes were distributed to the deserving staff both senior and junior and two former directors of NAERLS.

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