BY Mumini Abdulkareem
The lawmaker representing Baruten/Kaiama federal constituency at the National Assembly and the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Zakari Mohammed has presented a tractor to Baruten local government to boost agriculture in the council.
Speaking during the presentation ceremony in Ilorin at the weekend, Zakari said although he applied for two tractors to serve the two councils under his constituency, one was only supplied to him which made him delay the presentation until now.
He said he had thought making the two presentations would be better but had to change his mind because of the politicisation of his action by the opposition members adding that the one for Kaiama would be handed over as soon as the second one was supplied.
According to him, ‘The journey began in 2017 when through my intervention programmes I applied for two tractors but eventually only one was supplied and I also observed that it was substandard. Salmac, the contractor is also here and you can verify the process.
“I have been battling with the contractor and NCAN, the agency that had the project domiciled with it. While waiting for the supply of the second one it was discovered that there had been mischief in town that the tractors were missing or that it had been converted to private use. But I want make it clear that nothing of such was the case.
‘It was just that I wanted to be a fair-minded individual. I have two local governments in my constituency and only one substandard was provided. But in the light of the attempt to politicize the issue and use it as a campaign of false accusation against me, I have to do the presentation to one of the local governments which is Baruten in order that we can rest this case. To also make it very clear, the document here represents the supply that was done to me which was will be made available to journalists for record purpose’, he added.
He said the tractor will be available at subsidized rate which would be under the care of the local government to guard against its abuse adding no nation can developed though without agriculture and the Baruten and Kaiama which are rich in rice production would greatly benefit from the use of the tractor.
Internal Auditor, Baruten Local Government, Alhaji Shittu AbdulAzeez, who represented the Baruten Local Govt Chairman, Alhaji Isa Seidu express gratitude for this gesture and assured that the tractor would be used for the development of Baruten farmers.
