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APPRECIATION & REQUEST

The Legislators,

C/o The Leader of the Legislative Arms,

Ovia North East Local Government Area,

Okada.

APPRECIATION

We want to thank you sir for being with us during the Certificate presentation to the Chairman of O.N.E.L.G.A which took place on the 6^th of September 2011 in the main hall of the council secretariat.

We are your children, your fathers, your brothers, your husbands, your wives, and you co-worker in the field. We want to humble ourselves to thank all members of the Legislative arms of the council for their timely involvement towards the affairs of the farmers Union.

Another reason we intend to write this letter is to officially inform you of the existence of the Ovia North East Local Government Farmers Multi-purpose co-operative union limited. As the Apex co-operative group in the Local Government Area. Also the regulatory body for all co-operatives in Ovia North-East. With our objectives as stated below;

i.                    To organize thrift and credit operations

ii.                  To provide credit for labour and consumption finance

iii.                To disseminate the knowledge of modern farming to our affiliate members by having the services of agric extension officers and production/processing professionals.

iv.               To handle other measures designed towards uplifting the lifestyles of our registered members, and also to encourage them to apply the principles which teach oneness and cooperation among our affiliates.

v.                 To market the produce of our members for better price, and also to provide storage facilities for inputs, farm products, machinery, etc.

In this write up, the Union has put down some primary requirements which is expected to help in the actualization of the above stated aims.

We have a vision; and in the book “to make it work! Make it real” presented to the Amiable Chairman of the council through `the secretary who represented him in the presentation program, page 5 of that book section ‘A’ read thus;

“Apportion to us a reasonable size of farmland where the union will be able to oversee the affairs of all farmers in the area affiliated to her. In order to guard them through the process of cultivation and also working towards adding value to their products  in order to meet export standard”.

We made it very clear in that write up that in this farmer’s community, all farmers will have the opportunity and ability to share ideas together on ways to themselves in the mass production of food stuff for our people and for export.

We also pleaded with our father (the council chairman) to support Fadama co-operative group in the area who are not able to meet up with their counterpart fund, in order for all farmers to benefit. As extracted from section ‘B’ page 3 of the book.  ‘To make it work! Make it real’ It read thus….

“We humbly implore you sir, to assist all the co-operatives in your L.G. Area to offset their own part of the FADAMA III counterpart fund in order for all your farmers to benefit from this program. As their benefit will help project the kind of lifestyles they intends to live”. Supporting farmers in this regard is very compulsory and important because if the farmers loose the 70% grant because they could not afford their 30% counterpart response, the negative impact to the local government area could amount to about 87%.

Recently, Governor Adams Oshiomhole has declared that agriculture is a credible factor that can be used to address unemployment and to transform the state. In his speech, the governor said what has been causing delay in identifying this sector, was the rot in civil service especially in the agricultural sector. But now he (The Governor) is willing to address the inhumanity faced in that sector. This assurance was given in the retreat which has as its theme “Sustaining reforms, Expletive from a Development Partner” held in AGANE-BODE

Base on this statistics, we plead with the honorable members of the house to intervene in this regard. The executives of the farmers’ union promise to make sure that the assistance when given will not be abused by farmers. We are in haste to be given the required assistance now in order not to fall victim of the Prophecy of the United Nation that in 2015, there is going to be colossal food shortage in Africa.

Why formed into a Union?

Some of the reasons we formed into a Union are:-

a.     To enhance rapid growth in the farming industry. And also to project the co-operative movement in the local council area. This means that if union is formed, they will represent the primary co-operative societies in their various local government areas. This will reduce friction and encourage better co-operation among members.

b.     To ensure that the relevance of co-operative unions will help to fulfill the felt needs of all co-operators that make up the Union

c.      Setting up the Unions around the eighteen local government areas in the state is to create solid financial base which will assist in setting up profitable ventures geared towards reducing dependency on government.

The following are the expected role of the co-operative movement in community development.

i.                    To ensure they embark on a serious and articulated rigorous campaign strategized towards sensitizing and the mobilization of those in the grassroot to effectively participate in co-operative activities.

ii.                  It is our duty to make sure all co-operatives operating within our coverage area are effectively supervised and managed properly, so that they will comply with the principles set up for co-operative societies by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA).

On this basis, the various Local Government Areas Apex body are expected to demonstrate internal democracy, transparency, accountability, and probity which are the primary co-operative norms and ethics. For proper operation of the co-operative movement and for the effect of the Unions to be felt in their various areas of operation, the governments also have a role to play. And in Ovia North-East Local Government Area, we expect the Local government authority to:

1)    Recognize and respect the autonomy and operational indecency of the co-operative Union as the regulatory body for co-operative societies set up in the area.

2)    To provide effective education to enhance proper coordination of the primary co-operatives by providing fund to support the apex body towards meeting up with their obligation.

At this point, we wish to inform our well respected Legislators that a plot of land measuring 100 by 200 feet has been voluntarily donated to the Union in Igbobi Community, Oghede Ward, Ovia North-East Local Government Area to help set up a cottage industry and a warehouse which shall be call Ovia North-East Farmers Union processing Mill.

We want to remember the speech of a Legend who once says… on quote “When farming becomes the ills of the society, the ills becomes incurable”. Therefore the needs of farmers should be quickly looked into, to avoid the forecast of the United Nation which says; “if appropriate measure is not put in place, there is going to be serious food shortage in Africa, by 2015”

Any government who fails to recognize the miracle of farmers, perish of impediment.

We need your support to startup the industry. As you well know, as a young body, we don’t have financial means to embark on such journey. Just as King Pharaoh of Joseph’s day made provision for Joseph to save enough food for his people, in expectation of the seven years famine period which lay ahead of them, we want you to make provision for Ovia North East Farmers to produce massively now towards the rainy day.

We will be most grateful if we are assisted in this regard.