Obasanjo saved poultry industry in Nigeria, says DG PAN

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo: credited for saving poultry business in Nigeria
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo: credited for saving poultry business in Nigeria

The Director General of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, Mr. Onallo Ankpa has disclosed that if not for the singular efforts of the former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the poultry industry in the country would have become a forgone issue as at today.

Ankpa made the disclosure Tuesday during his welcome address at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Nigeria Poultry Show taking place in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

He revealed that, “for the intervention of the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the sector would have been dead. Obasanjo saved the poultry industry, as he ensured that the importation of poultry items were restricted.”

The Director General also hinted that the body would strive to ensure that the policy on School Feed programme under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme is implemented, noting that, the country has enough farmers to produce eggs to feed the primary school population in the country.

Ankpa, while commending both the Osun and Kano State governments for implementing the policy, assured that the policy would soon become a national policy.

He enjoined stakeholders to come forward to protest against using the country as dumping ground for items, which “we can produce and provide more healthy vitamins for the citizens.”

Meanwhile, hope rise for the country’s poultry farmers over the scarcity of soya beans, as indication emerged that a total of 60,000 tons of the essential feeds have arrived the country.

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The development came, even as the efforts of the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in providing life-line for the country’s poultry farmers’ was noticed and commended.

The National President of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Ayoola Oduntan made this revelation during his address at the event.

He said the arrival of the soya bean would ameliorate the hardship farmers in the poultry industry have been facing for past months, hinting further that the distribution would commence next week.

Oduntan in his opening address themed: “Poultry Industry’s Impact on Employment Generation”, said the industry provides about 15million jobs for the people of the country.

He described the future of the poultry business in Nigeria as bright, disclosing that, “that situation is getting better every year with Nigeria being presently the largest producer of eggs (with 13b eggs produced) annually in Africa.”

In her reaction, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun assured that the state government would continue to provide enabling environment for the farmers to succeed as the sector is key to the industrialization of the state policy.

She also added that abandoned poultry farms in the state would be rehabilitated and while standard quality-control centre is under construction.

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