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My people are taking advantage of government’s agric policies

By Gabriel Omonhinmin
19 August 2018   |   3:57 am
ISIEKETA Ancient Kingdom in Ishiala Ngwan South Local Government of Abia State is an agrarian community known for massive palm oil production, alongside such other agricultural produce as yam, cassava and of late, fish farming. The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has linked Isieketa-Nbawsi and 11 adjoining villages with a new road. After the recent…

His Royal Majesty, Eze Nelson Nmerengwa Isiala of Isieketa

ISIEKETA Ancient Kingdom in Ishiala Ngwan South Local Government of Abia State is an agrarian community known for massive palm oil production, alongside such other agricultural produce as yam, cassava and of late, fish farming. The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has linked Isieketa-Nbawsi and 11 adjoining villages with a new road. After the recent commissioning of the completed road project, Palace Watch had an interview with His Royal Majesty, Eze Nelson Nmerengwa Isiala of Isieketa.

Why is this project so special to you and your people?

YOU will not easily understand the reasons for my joy, and gratitude to government for ensuring that this road project was completed in record time.

The reason for my joy is that my town is now linked with 11 other villages that were previously inaccessible.

This, no doubt, has also opened up our businesses and made it much easier for people coming here to do business with us.

It also makes it very easy for us to take any sick person(s) in my domain to the state capital, Umuahia, whenever the needs arise.

When this project began, it was just like a miracle, because it has long been my people’s yearning that had remained unanswered till now.

I, therefore, decided with council members to investigate where this is coming from.

It was after the contractors have moved to site that we discovered that a man who has always visited me here in my palace, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, who is now on the board of NDDC, helped in facilitating the project. But his efforts would have been in vain.

You should have seen this road before it was constructed.

Regardless of the mode of transportation, it was hell getting here, except by air.

We were completely cut off from civilization, until this intervention. This is why I am so excited about the project.

There is a river near here, but your people still engage in fish farming…

This simply explains my people’s resourcefulness.

We are into concrete pond type of fishing here. We build ponds, cultivate and grow our fishes, which my people then process and sell.

In addition, my people also cultivate hectares of farmlands, where they grow yam, palm oil and cassava, which they also sell in commercial quantities. I also have palm oil plantation.

How do your people access loans for their farming business?

That is a tough one. Before now, we tried very hard to source loans from anywhere possible.

But with present agricultural policies, especially with regards to farming, loans are now much easier to obtain, unlike in the past.

We are, therefore, taking adequate advantage of these policies to better our lot.

In my domain, we have a body known as the Oha Ngwan Traditional Council.

I am the founder and chairman, Board of Trustees.

We have started to meet, work and strategise on daily basis on how to get our people to take full advantage of Federal Government’s policies on agriculture to better our lots.

We will not rest, until we see that our people are doing very well in the area of agriculture, where we have huge comparative advantage.

Why did you consider Chief Femi Adesina for the title you gave to him?

If I had decided to go for monetary consideration, there were so many people out there, willing to do anything to get the title.

But for my council members, and I we decided to put personal integrity above monetary consideration.

That was why Chief Adesina got the title. I have known Femi, one on one, long before he became spokesman to Mr. President.

One thing that had always spoken for him is his integrity and level-headedness.

Over the years, I have found Femi to be a very straightforward person.

No matter the pressure, Femi will never tell you anything he can’t do.

Whatever he says is like a cheque, you can take it straight to the bank and it will be honoured.

So, when names were being suggested on whom to bestow the title of Ugo of Isieketa, I told them that I was going for Femi, after so many names had been suggested, due to the qualities I earlier enumerated. And it was accepted.

Another reason why Chief Adesina is the right person for my title is simply due to the fact that he is working with a man like President Buhari, who is known globally as a clean man.

Nigeria currently has a president that is not using his position to amass unnecessary wealth at the expense of the people.

These were all the factors we considered.

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