President Jonathan’s administration would henceforth promote agriculture the same way sports is being promoted in the country to instil a self reliant entrepreneurship culture within Nigerian students at an early stage.
Dr Jonathan was speaking at the flag off of the National Schools Agriculture Programme in the Presidential Villa.
The programme, which is to go to all secondary schools in the country is beginning with 12 secondary schools as a pilot with about 4,000 youths to benefit at the pilot stage.
The 12 pilot states chosen for the initiative converged on the Presidential Villa for the flag off of the programme.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Schools Agriculture Programme, Dr. Baraka Sani, who is also a major initiator of the programme, said that the vision was clear and that is to put agriculture in the hands of future leaders.
Some of the students that will benefit from the programme said that their perception about agriculture had changed following the innovation.
The commissioners of education, represented at the event, assured President Jonathan that they would immediately swing into action to implement the programme in the schools in the federation, while state governors gave assurances that they would do no less to ensure the success of the programme.
The moment everyone had waited for came when President Jonathan signed the official T-shirt to commemorate the day.
Some of the special guests then joined the President on stage as they got decorated as agriculture ambassadors and mentors. They have the responsibility to help sustain the programme.
They believe that the future is bright for the country and that a time would come when Nigerians would remember that the Jonathan administration created the programme.
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina and Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, were both present at the event.
