In order to tackle the challenge of graduate unemployment, the Federal Government has mapped out plans to introduce graduate farmers’ scheme in crop production, fish farming and poultry in all the 109 senatorial districts across the country.

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, disclosed this while kicking- off graduate farmers’ employment scheme organised by the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority, Alabata, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

This, he said, was the second kick- off after the one held in Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, which covers Kogi, Kwara and some parts of Niger State.

Adamu said the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was committed to completing overhauling of the country’s economy by largely diversifying from the single export commodity economy into more productive activities like agriculture.

He said agriculture has the potential not only to boost the ability of the nation to feed itself but to also provide the largest opportunity to create jobs for the nation’s teeming youths.

Adamu said the FG was also committed to revitalising all the River Basin Development Authorities across the country.

He said, “In the last six months, we have taken concrete steps to resuscitate the River Basin Development Authorities.

“The first of which was to develop a road map that includes quick-win interventions with the objective of restoring mandate, building institutional capacity, maximising operation and the output of the RBDAs and creating job opportunities through irrigation farming and aquaculture under a graduate/youths empowerment scheme.

“I only want to add that I am excited at the prospect of extending the scheme to all the 109 senatorial districts of the country, after what I hope will be a successful outcome of the first 12 pilot projects that will be established by each of the River Basin Development Authorities before the end of this year.”

Adamu, who was represented by the Director of River Basin Operations and Inspectorate, Dr Musa Ibrahim, said the scheme would be modelled after the Songhai integrated farm model, which would be under the supervision of its initiator, Prof. Godfrey Nzamujo.

He said the scheme would engage carefully selected participants in batches of 50, adding that it would be a continuous exercise.

Earlier in his speech, the Managing Director, Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority, Abeokuta, Akin Soyemi, said the programme was propelled by the desire of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s to diversify the Nigerian economy.

He said the Ministry of Water Resources had put machinery in motion to reposition and engage the River Basin Development Authorities, as key drivers in attaining the objectives of the scheme.