President Yoweri Museveni has re-emphasized his call to the people of districts in West Nile Sub-Region to fully embrace the modernization and commercialization of agriculture in the districts of West Nile Region with the aim of increasing the area’s productivity so as to address the challenge of household incomes.
"We have already talked about enterprise selection. Now what we need to do is to get some model farmers through the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) programme to start. People must be empowered to tackle homestead poverty," he said.
The President was addressing West Nile region leaders that included Ministers, Members of Parliament, LC5 Chairpersons, RDCs, religious leaders and veterans, among others who called on him last evening at State House, Entebbe.
The President tasked leaders at all levels to get involved in the fight against household poverty on top of educating wananchi on the dangers of land fragmentation that that, he observed, has adversely affected productivity not only in the West Nile Region but also in other parts of the country.
"We leaders have to re-plan and re-apply home economics and deal with the issue of household incomes and land fragmentation. Religious leaders, I am sure, you want to go to heaven but if God asks you what you did for the people and you tell him you only baptized them, I am sure He will not be happy," he added. He, therefore, called on religious leaders also to educate the masses on the dangers and bad inheritance practices attendant to land fragmentation.
Mr. Museveni further stressed to the people to deal with the issue of Operation Wealth Creation at household level noting that even if government put in place the necessary infrastructure, such as good roads and electricity, still poverty will be there if one does not do something to chase poverty out of his home.
The President reminded West Nile Region leaders of the availability of a number of government programs in their area that are aimed at extending services nearer to the people and notable of these is electricity, roads and water. He emphasized that leaders aught to follow up and guide wananchi to ensure effective implementation of Operation Wealth Creation projects.
President Museveni informed the leaders that the overall national recovery programme has been steadfast as exemplified by the improved tax revenue collection from Shs.5b in 1986 to the current Shs.12,000 billion which has facilitated the construction of more power dams, building of more roads across the country as well as maintenance of peace throughout Uganda.
The President re-assured the people of West Nile in particular and Uganda in general, that under the NRM Government, peace will reign and that nobody will destabilize the country.
The meeting also discussed several challenges in the West Nile Region as raised in the memorandum that was presented by 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Gen. Moses Ali that touched on security in the area, border conflicts and compensations. He reported that those issues are already being handled by the concerned Government Ministries.
Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, told the meeting that the issue of border conflicts is being handled whereby surveyors are already working to open colonial borders. He clarified that the exercise also involves all the leaders without forgetting the programme of sensitizing the masses.
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