State of the Nation

[netotse]

Originally Posted by dr dowell

My Oga I really appreciate your argument it is really rich, however it is somehow deficient in some areas. I would like to ask what type of farmers is he targeting? The mechanized farmer is literate and already rich and can afford those phones. I believe his target should be the less Educated who can improve with better information dissemination. My Question is can this group be able to assess information using phones. The augment now is wouldn't it be better to have Agric Extension officer. Posted to this areas who can meet the farmers One on one listen to the farmer and show the samples of good quality farming technique and receive fed backs from the farmers. The problem with phone interaction is that it can be misinterpret even in the hand of educated talk less of the uneducated. We should always put into consideration our environment while enacting policies.

Someone posted this somewhere else on the site, I think it should shed more light on what the Minister is trying to achieve

N60B Naira Expenditure on Mobile Phones for Farmers Not True - Proshare

I like how he mentions "We are also rapidly modernizing agriculture, and have moved away from agriculture as a development program to agriculture as a business", he is trying to do something different, let's give him kudos for that.

[wanaj0]

Originally Posted by Waves

If you had concentrated on the issue of Distributing phones to rural farmers, we have had a healthy discussion. We may have been able to compare notes on the efficacy of the policy of distributing fertilizer subsidies through GSM phones implemented during the last farming season. We may also have discussed on the limited impact even the most effective Agric minister can have on Agric in Nigeria simply because Agric is essentially a state govt issue. For now, your post is simply a Ad homenen attack on Otunba Momodu - a person I have little regard for.

Why should I concentrate on something already denied by the minister and which was reported by the same Thisday newspaper but you chose to believe and quote Momodus report but ignore the denial of the minister!

[Waves]

Originally Posted by wanaj0

Why should I concentrate on something already denied by the minister and which was reported by the same Thisday newspaper but you chose to believe and quote Momodus report but ignore the denial of the minister!

Not sure we talking about the same thing. At no point did the Minister deny the plan to distribute phones (which is what I am questioning). He only denied the amount of N60 billion (which i am really not interested in).

Please read his statement carefully

N60B Naira Expenditure on Mobile Phones for Farmers Not True - Proshare

"From 2013, government intends to distribute 10 million phones, so we can reach more millions of farmers with the GES scheme for subsidized inputs. We expect to reach at least 5 million farmers in 2013 with GES for access to subsidized inputs. So, farmers who get mobile phones will be registered and we will use their biometric information to reach them with electronic vouchers for seeds and fertilizers."

[arostuff]

GSM handsets for farmers - Why the fuss?
Its only in Nigeria that farmers still travel several kilometres to and from their farms everyday. Wake up Nigerian farmers! With GSM technology, computers, ICT internet etc, life has ideed become better! Tell me now, how better can life be if an average Nigerian farmer can plant in his CREATE MESSAGE, monitor his plants with his BROWSER, store his harvest in his DRAFTS or OUTBOX, hit good bargains with his CHAT and SEND the item to his costumers who end up consuming the SENT ITEMS - vegetables, fruits, dairy products, fish, meat etc all just from their INBOX? Or better still DOWNLOAD them directly into their bellies! Dont you like good things? Haba!

[wanaj0]

Originally Posted by Waves

Not sure we talking about the same thing. At no point did the Minister deny the plan to distribute phones (which is what I am questioning). He only denied the amount of N60 billion (which i am really not interested in).

Please read his statement carefully

N60B Naira Expenditure on Mobile Phones for Farmers Not True - Proshare

"From 2013, government intends to distribute 10 million phones, so we can reach more millions of farmers with the GES scheme for subsidized inputs. We expect to reach at least 5 million farmers in 2013 with GES for access to subsidized inputs. So, farmers who get mobile phones will be registered and we will use their biometric information to reach them with electronic vouchers for seeds and fertilizers."

We are talking about the same thing. From Thisday were you took the Momodus story from, you also have the denial by the minister that there is no purchase of phone! Yes there is a POLICY to improve communication and information to the rural areas. Part of that will include farmers having phones, getting access to loans etc.

Typical of people like Momodu, they sensational the story towards their secret agenda.

So let us discuss the POLICY. Are you against improving communication and information in the rural areas where the bulk of our farmers stays? Is their anything wrong in supporting the farmers to be able to better communicate with markets, extension advisers etc?

[hispy99]

Originally Posted by duduspace

If we start on this one, all of us go kpeme here before we get an answer to this o.

Oya Oga Hispy, please define 0 and infinity and tell me if someone has ever held those 2 values in his hand before.

For such things, we use human constructs called placeholders.

person wey no get kaka for pocket is holding 0

[dr dowell]

Originally Posted by netotse

Someone posted this somewhere else on the site, I think it should shed more light on what the Minister is trying to achieve

N60B Naira Expenditure on Mobile Phones for Farmers Not True - Proshare

I like how he mentions "We are also rapidly modernizing agriculture, and have moved away from agriculture as a development program to agriculture as a business", he is trying to do something different, let's give him kudos for that.

My Oga I have read the story no sensible person. That read the story will not agree that the man has written a good story. The question is how do you sources the fund for the phones? When has the Government become father christmas that distribute gift? Whose money are they Using for the funding is it not tax payers money? If he is really serious low cost phones could be sold to farmers and the poor once could be assisted with soft loan with single digit interest to buy other subsides agricultural products and the phone included anything outside that could mean some body selling a laudable ideal with hidden agenda to siphon scares resources. How ever I do not agree with him that he is not exporting Job. will the phones be manufactured in Nigeria if not what are u creating for the people manufacturing it? Learn to critical analysis and evaluate all political statement. Thank U.

[hispy99]

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[Waves]

Originally Posted by wanaj0

We are talking about the same thing. From Thisday were you took the Momodus story from, you also have the denial by the minister that there is no purchase of phone! Yes there is a POLICY to improve communication and information to the rural areas. Part of that will include farmers having phones, getting access to loans etc.

Typical of people like Momodu, they sensational the story towards their secret agenda.

So let us discuss the POLICY. Are you against improving communication and information in the rural areas where the bulk of our farmers stays? Is their anything wrong in supporting the farmers to be able to better communicate with markets, extension advisers etc?

Why are you obsessed with Big D's article when you have the Minister's statement which clearly talks about distributing phones. Well let me help you because I was a little bit involved in this. There is a fund called "Universal Access Fund" (being managed by NCC and to which all Telcos and govt contribute a percentage ). The idea is to use this fund for the project. My former employer had this "Rural Telephony Project" which was designed to provide basic services at very low cost to rural areas (no data access for instance) and this UAF is supposed to be used to subsidise the project. So incase you don't understand how govt works, it is quite possible to purchase and distribute these handsets without seeing the provision for it in the budget.

Am I against this initiative? Yes. First, of the 16 issues identified as affecting farmers in Nigeria (Gov Nyako was part of this project and should have shared it with the Minister during their Eonomic Team meeting), communication only has a tangential mention (under access to Extension services and Price Discovery). For your information, Fertilizer was 13th and Tractor 14th. Second, GSM access is very limited in areas where the intended farmers live (don't be deceived by what you see in the Cities and the roads). GSM companies are really reluctant to erect N40m Cell Site in a rural town. Third, the Handsets will hardly get to the Farmers. Try and find out what happened during the last farming season with FG share of fertilizers. Because the FG has no network or infrastructure to contact these farmers, the FG usually relies on the States which don't share Adeshina's ideas. Eventually, these handsets will be a PDP thing.

[hispy99]

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[hispy99]

Originally Posted by Waves

Why are you obsessed with Big D's article when you have the Minister's statement which clearly talks about distributing phones. Well let me help you because I was a little bit involved in this. There is a fund called "Universal Access Fund" (being managed by NCC and to which all Telcos and govt contribute a percentage ). The idea is to use this fund for the project. My former employer had this "Rural Telephony Project" which was designed to provide basic services at very low cost to rural areas (no data access for instance) and this UAF is supposed to be used to subsidise the project. So incase you don't understand how govt works, it is quite possible to purchase and distribute these handsets without seeing the provision for it in the budget.

Am I against this initiative? Yes. First, of the 16 issues identified as affecting farmers in Nigeria (Gov Nyako was part of this project and should have shared it with the Minister during their Eonomic Team meeting), communication only has a tangential mention (under access to Extension services and Price Discovery). For your information, Fertilizer was 13th and Tractor 14th. Second, GSM access is very limited in areas where the intended farmers live (don't be deceived by what you see in the Cities and the roads). GSM companies are really reluctant to erect N40m Cell Site in a rural town. Third, the Handsets will hardly get to the Farmers. Try and find out what happened during the last farming season with FG share of fertilizers. Because the FG has no network or infrastructure to contact these farmers, the FG usually relies on the States which don't share Adeshina's ideas. Eventually, these handsets will be a PDP thing.

These 2 points were the reason why i was skeptical that this would work.

[Oracle]

Originally Posted by Waves

Why are you obsessed with Big D's article when you have the Minister's statement which clearly talks about distributing phones. Well let me help you because I was a little bit involved in this. There is a fund called "Universal Access Fund" (being managed by NCC and to which all Telcos and govt contribute a percentage ). The idea is to use this fund for the project. My former employer had this "Rural Telephony Project" which was designed to provide basic services at very low cost to rural areas (no data access for instance) and this UAF is supposed to be used to subsidise the project. So incase you don't understand how govt works, it is quite possible to purchase and distribute these handsets without seeing the provision for it in the budget.

Am I against this initiative? Yes. First, of the 16 issues identified as affecting farmers in Nigeria (Gov Nyako was part of this project and should have shared it with the Minister during their Eonomic Team meeting), communication only has a tangential mention (under access to Extension services and Price Discovery). For your information, Fertilizer was 13th and Tractor 14th. Second, GSM access is very limited in areas where the intended farmers live (don't be deceived by what you see in the Cities and the roads). GSM companies are really reluctant to erect N40m Cell Site in a rural town. Third, the Handsets will hardly get to the Farmers. Try and find out what happened during the last farming season with FG share of fertilizers. Because the FG has no network or infrastructure to contact these farmers, the FG usually relies on the States which don't share Adeshina's ideas. Eventually, these handsets will be a PDP thing.

Thank you jare!

[Oracle]

Originally Posted by hispy99

These 2 points were the reason why i was skeptical that this would work.

Why? They will simply force the telecom firms to go and mount their mast in those rural areas with immediate effect.

You suppose know say the handset no go reach the farmers. You don't need to bother yourself.

By the way, the educated farmers already have phones. The uneducated ones also have phones. Some of them(uneducated) that don't want phones do so not because they can't buy but they don't want to be bothered by the rigorous education that comes with reading tiny handset button characters. Go to the villages and you will see it for yourself. Some of them cannot even write their names and you want them to look at a phone character. It could be due to poor vision or apathy for learning at matured age. These uneducated farmers cannot read text messages. I have seen that firsthand.

[dr dowell]

Originally Posted by Waves

Why are you obsessed with Big D's article when you have the Minister's statement which clearly talks about distributing phones. Well let me help you because I was a little bit involved in this. There is a fund called "Universal Access Fund" (being managed by NCC and to which all Telcos and govt contribute a percentage ). The idea is to use this fund for the project. My former employer had this "Rural Telephony Project" which was designed to provide basic services at very low cost to rural areas (no data access for instance) and this UAF is supposed to be used to subsidise the project. So incase you don't understand how govt works, it is quite possible to purchase and distribute these handsets without seeing the provision for it in the budget.

Am I against this initiative? Yes. First, of the 16 issues identified as affecting farmers in Nigeria (Gov Nyako was part of this project and should have shared it with the Minister during their Eonomic Team meeting), communication only has a tangential mention (under access to Extension services and Price Discovery). For your information, Fertilizer was 13th and Tractor 14th. Second, GSM access is very limited in areas where the intended farmers live (don't be deceived by what you see in the Cities and the roads). GSM companies are really reluctant to erect N40m Cell Site in a rural town. Third, the Handsets will hardly get to the Farmers. Try and find out what happened during the last farming season with FG share of fertilizers. Because the FG has no network or infrastructure to contact these farmers, the FG usually relies on the States which don't share Adeshina's ideas. Eventually, these handsets will be a PDP thing.

This is the most important missing point. Availability of Access to network.

[Oracle]

Originally Posted by laso

This is d time 4 we farmers 2 enjoy our own subsidy. The urban populace have been enjoying subsidy on petrol 4 years & we never complain may b bcos we have no acess to
social media. How i wish dis minister wil continue in dis post 4 d next 6 years or more. He is d best thing 2 have happend to farmers in nigeria. Ride on Dr Adesina.!

Or you meant: Ride on Garfield!

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[wanaj0]

Originally Posted by Waves

Why are you obsessed with Big D's article when you have the Minister's statement which clearly talks about distributing phones. Well let me help you because I was a little bit involved in this. There is a fund called "Universal Access Fund" (being managed by NCC and to which all Telcos and govt contribute a percentage ). The idea is to use this fund for the project. My former employer had this "Rural Telephony Project" which was designed to provide basic services at very low cost to rural areas (no data access for instance) and this UAF is supposed to be used to subsidise the project. So incase you don't understand how govt works, it is quite possible to purchase and distribute these handsets without seeing the provision for it in the budget.

Am I against this initiative? Yes. First, of the 16 issues identified as affecting farmers in Nigeria (Gov Nyako was part of this project and should have shared it with the Minister during their Eonomic Team meeting), communication only has a tangential mention (under access to Extension services and Price Discovery). For your information, Fertilizer was 13th and Tractor 14th. Second, GSM access is very limited in areas where the intended farmers live (don't be deceived by what you see in the Cities and the roads). GSM companies are really reluctant to erect N40m Cell Site in a rural town. Third, the Handsets will hardly get to the Farmers. Try and find out what happened during the last farming season with FG share of fertilizers. Because the FG has no network or infrastructure to contact these farmers, the FG usually relies on the States which don't share Adeshina's ideas. Eventually, these handsets will be a PDP thing.

Again the minister is in charge of Agriculture and RURAL DEVELOPMENT. So are you against the agricultural policy of making agriculture a BUSINESS and improving the information and communication ability of farmers OR are you against the RURAL TELEPHONY policy?