OVERLAPPING FUNCTIONS BY MDAS IN AGRIC SECTOR WORRISOME – ADEFARATI.

Ondo State Commissioner for Agriculture Asiwaju Adegboyega Adefarati has identified overlapping and duplication of Ministry, Departments and Agencies in the sector as the bane of agricultural development in the state.

Adefarati gave the bombshell while declaring open a 2- day event on “Governace Intervention Strategy in Ondo State’s Agricultural Sector, Presentation and Action Planning Session organised by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria DAWN Commission in AKURE.

The commissioner who could not hide his disdain with the situation where agencies that were created out of the Ministry as Projects were contending with her relevance by virtually taking over some of its statutory functions without baiting eyelids.

Asiwaju Adefarati further said it was absurd for Ondo State Agricultural Inputs Supply Agency (AISA) ONDO State Agribusiness and Empowernent Centre ASEAC and Cocoa Revolution especially the later to be hands twisting the Parent Ministry and they won’t allowed it to effectively drive the sector as the statutory lead agency under the law by performing its function.

He was particularly piqued by attempts in some quarters to completely exercised the Cocoa Revolution, a Project a veritable component of the Tree Crops Unit (TCU) a statutorily and self accounting department of the Ministry of Agriculture

According to him such an attempt is with sinister motifs and will not be encouraged because it won’t augur well for the development of the strategic sector.

He called for the return to the status quo that is allowing the Ministry of Agriculture to continue to functions by returning all its statutory duties taken away to it for the overall development of the state in line with ONDO state Agricultural Policy now under reviews.

In his reaction the DAWN Commission, lead Consultant Aderemi Isijo while agreeing with the Commissioner on the need to properly streamlined the functions of the MDAS to avoid overlapping and duplication of roles in the sector he was deeply worried that the ugly scenario still persist deite the intervention, presentation and engagements the DAWN Commission had with the authority on the subject matter in order to reduce cost and promote efficiency.

According to him one of the essences of the commission is to ensure that states in the region have the same template to drive developmental processes in order to achieve a uniform development.

Earlier the Administrative Secretary of Agency for Public Service Reforms and Development under the office of the Head of Service the facilitator of the process Oluwagbenga Akingbasote said the the interface is to come out with work plans to helo reduce wastages in Public Sector financing and to Consumer Pull – a Private Sector driven Economy in doing business especially in the Agriculture sector in line with the global best practices.

To this end he, enjoined all the participating MDAs to make the best use of the situation.

Some of the participants commended the convener, DAWN Commission and the International partners, DFID and PERL for doing a good job.

Some of the MDAS at event include, Ministries of Budget and Economics Planning, Lands, Environment, ADP, Fadama, ASIA, TCU, Cocoa Revolution among others.