ibironkeeniola 
The Federal Government in a bid to empower civil servants and increase food production in the country has implemented the Federal Public Service Entrepreneurship Programme on agriculture.
Through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) will work to see to the successful execution of the programme.
According to the Officers, the initiative will adopt an agri-preneurship start-up scheme for serving officers and also hold pre-retirement training and business start-up schemes for prospective retirees.
Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, also inaugurated the Project Steering Implementation Committee to provide policy guidelines and enabling environment needed to allow civil servants to venture into agriculture while in service and afterwards.
In her words “This is the first series of initiatives pioneered to ensure the welfare of civil servants during and after service”
Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office (SWO), Dr. Evelyn Ngige, in her remarks said that to ensure the sustainability of the entrepreneurship programme, a federal public service farm estate has been created.
The estate, she added is an integrated agriculture estate farm that captures the entire agriculture value chain for the smooth running of the initiative.
On his part, Managing Director of BOA, Alwan Ali Hassan, described the agriculture value chain as offering a wide range of opportunities for the civil servants.
Hassan, therefore, urged the government officials to key into their area of interest listing farming, fishery, livestock and poultry as some important sub-sectors.
SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA