Residents of Taraba State have expressed concerns about a possible increase in security challenges within a short time in the state following the disengagement of 200 youths from the services of the state agro company, the Taraba Green House.
The residents decried that the return of the 200 youth to the streets of Taraba due to the moribund state of the company since 2020 was creating fear of a possible increase in criminal activities across the state.
Naija News reports that the Governor Darius Ishaku’s multi-billion Naira greenhouse project that has gone moribund since 2020 was commissioned on Aug. 25, 2017, by the Vice president, Yemi Osinbajo.
Osinbajo who said the project was a victory for agric technology also noted at the event that, the Federal Government was going to partner with Taraba state Government to improve Agricultural production in order to attain food sufficiency in the country.
Residents of the state who expressed fear of possible heavy security challenges due to increased unemployment wondered whether the federal government did not partner the state to facilitate the effectiveness of the company as promised by the Vice President.
Mallam Shehu Buba, a resident of Jalingo, Cletus Ando of Wukari and Yusuf Maigeri of Sadauna local government, all expressed that the daily rise of insecurity in Nigeria was being perpetrated by mostly unemployed youths.
“We were told that the multi billion Naira green house engaged the services of 200 youths in different capacities. Governor Darius Ishaku himself told us that the main aim of establishing the company was to lift the youths out of street and curb criminality and banditry activities since it was believed that the acts were being committed by unemployed youth.
“This company has since 2020, gone moribund and the 200 youth have been disengaged automatically. We don’t know whether the governor only established the company as a strategy to wine the youth’s Hart for his second term ambition in 2019
“We are afraid that this youth may soon go into what would hamper the development of the state due to frustrations.
“We do not know whether the federal government had withdrawn her decision to partner the state to boost the efficiency of the company. We are wondering what the state would tune into if these youths result to criminal activities over the moribund state of the Green House that has sent them back to the streets,” he submitted.
Naija News also reports that Governor Darius Ishaku had earlier in 2017 during an inspection visit to the company said, his decision for establishing the company was due to the fact that agriculture was the surest means to engage the youth productively and free the country from persistent recession.
Governor Ishaku also disclosed during the visit that he would privatize the company before he leaves office due to what he believed is the inability of the government to effectively manage and sustain the company.
Ishaku justified his position with the way other state-owned companies had been handled.
“I met 25 moribund state-owned companies when I came on board in 2015 and I have worked hard to revive five of them; we are still doing everything possible to fix more.
“To me, it is better for us to have 10 or 20 per cent shares in our companies and get private investors to buy shares; we then share dividends at the end of every year, rather than allowing the companies to become moribund in the hands of government.
“Government has no business doing business, but it has to take the initiative and provide the enabling environment and infrastructure for private investors to come in and run the businesses profitably,” those were the governor’s words.
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