Quela birds destroy rice farms in Taraba

Rice farmers in Argungu have decried  the invasion of their farms by  quela birds which have destroyed  about 75,000 hectares of farm crops in the area.

One of the farmers, who spoke  to   journalists in Birnin-Kebbi, the state capital, on Tuesday, Mama Garba Rabe,   expressed   concern  over the situation,  saying that apart from high cost of fuel  and fertiliser,  the quela birds are  also causing problems for them.

He said he spent over 20 years cultivating rice  but  has never seen  birds like  the quela birds before.

“By the time they landed on a rice field within few seconds, they will finish it,”  he said.

The chairman of Argungu Local Government  Area, Alhaji Salihu Argungu, also told newsmen that they are making effort to wipe out the  birds  through the use of chemicals.

Meanwhile, a former Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, Abubakar Malam and former Accountant General in the state, Muhammad Arzika and  30  others are among  the  people Governor  Nasiru Idris  appointed as  Special Advisers  (SAs)  in the state.

A press release from the Office of the Chief Press Secretary to the state government, Idris Ahmed, stated that the former Customs boss  has been appointed to head inter-governmental and infrastructure affairs, while Muhammad Arzika is to head revenue generation.

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