Date: 2017-03-17

THE Kwara House of Assembly on Wednesday approved Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed's request to procure 20,000 metric tonnes of NPK fertilizer worth N2billion for distribution to farmers.

The approval was sequel to the request to that effect read by the Speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad, at plenary on Tuesday.

The speaker announced the approval after the House had debated the governor's request which lasted about 30 minutes.

The procurement of the fertiliser was under the Federal Government intervention fertiliser programme for the 36 states of the federation and Abuja.

The assembly directed its Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources to ensure the distribution and sale of the commodity after procurement.

It said this was to ensure that the fertiliser got to genuine farmers and not businessmen who would re-sell the product at exorbitant prices.

The House similarly directed the committee to fully supervise the sale of the fertiliser with the aim of ensuring that a bag was not sold beyond N5, 000.

Also at Wednesday's plenary, three bills passed through the first reading, one of which was a private member bill.

The two executive bills were Kwara Revenue Administration (Amendment) Bill and Kwara Revenue Court (Amendment) Bill.

The private member bill was the Ilorin Township Prohibition Bill against the manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor in certain areas.

The speaker thereafter referred the bills to the House Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action

NAN