PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu today wrapped up his three day tour of Eastern Province with a directive to relevant departments and institutions to act on some of the challenges presented to him by different groups before next month’s Nc’wala traditional ceremony of the Ngoni people.
Meanwhile, President Lungu has directed the short term intervention to respond to the increased rainfall which would be experience.
The different meetings for district commissioners, banks officials, agro-dealers, and bishops held at Luangwa Lodge in Chipata yesterday were attended by Special Assistant the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda, State House Minister Freedom Sikazwe, Eastern Province Minister Makebi Zulu, Provincial Patriotic Front (PF) Chairperson Andrew Lubusha and Deputy Permanent Secretary Patrick Mwanawasa.
After the meetings, Mr Chanda said the President was expecting that some of the problems that have been presented to him during his tour of duty in the province would be sorted out before Nc’wala ceremony.
“The President will be returning in Eastern Province and he expects that some of the challenges presented to him will be acted upon before Nc’wala traditional ceremony by various institutions and departments,” he said.
Mr Chanda said President Lungu had taken note the challenges faced in the electronic voucher (e-voucher) system.
He said the Head of State assured different stakeholders that he would work closely with the minister and the permanent secretary to ensure that all deliveries were done because the crop season was not yet over.
He said President Lungu was satisfied that the efforts and interventions to tame the army worms were bearing fruits in the country.
Mr Chanda said the President was confident that this year, the country would have a good harvest because of the good rainfall.
He said the President had taken note of the weather as advised by scientist that they would be an increased rainfall pattern in February.
Mr Chanda said President Lungu was taking steps to mitigate the negative effects which could come as a result of the increased rains.
And Mr Chanda said President Lungu told the bishops from various churches that were need to work side by side with the Government through the ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs.
The President said he was satisfied that since elections were over, the ruling party in the province should be more united.
Mr Chanda said the Head of State was expecting the members to work closely with the general structures of the party in the province.
He said President Lungu was sure that the different reconciliations which had taken place in the province should be taken as a starting point.
The President directed Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy General Secretary Mumbi Phiri to monitor and give advisory role to the party structures in the province.
Whilst in Eastern Province, the President had some engagements in Chipata, tour of Katete Dam, traditional leaderships, Lundazi district hospital and a maize field affected by army worms.
He also thanked the people for voting for him in the general elections.
Meanwhile, Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) in Eastern Province has told President Edgar Lungu that it received 46,901 electronic voucher system cards in which 45, 237 were distributed to the intended farmers.
ZNFU regional manager Virgil Malambo said during the banks and agro-dealers meeting at Luangwa Lodge in Chipata today that so far 40,415 cards were deposited adding that only 32,858 were activated.
Mr Malambo said the activation of the cards was representing 81 percent.
And Provincial Agricultural Coordinator Roy Lumamba told the President that the cards for e-voucher were received in December last year.
He told President Lungu that the cards best time to have received the cards were in September in order to correct the anomalies on the same before the onset of the rains.
“Your Excellency, we received these cards in December 2016 but the best time we were suppose to receive the cards was in September,” he said.
One of the agro dealer Abdul Waheed Ahmed from Modern Bazaar shop disclosed that most of the cards were activated by the banks this month.
He said the situation delayed most of the agro-dealers to give farming inputs to farmers.
Mr Ahmed said some farmers planted recycled seeds because of the problems encountered in the activation of the cards.
In response, President Lungu said the Government wants to extend the Chipata-Mchinji railway line stating that this was important because the province was an agricultural based.
He said some lessons had been learnt in the implementation of the cards stating that his Government would be able to start planning for the 2017/18 farming season and army worms on time.
Mwaziona zake manje Chagwa, they way he is starring at the chest of that ZAF pilot while shaking her hand as though breasts had eyes! The next thin you will hr is that he is busy Dununa Reversing inside the Captain’s fimo fimo!
@ 1 Mulenga Sosa
So for you, there comes no time for seriousness? Everytime your mind has to revolve around shallow and contaminated thinking?
This indeed was successful, especially that the head of state had first hand information on agricultural activities.
I know you cant, but I can see that president Lungu is a seriuos and focused leader.
He talks of diversifying the economy into agro activities and you can see that he is walking the talk.
He has met strategic business player to ensure facilitation of his vision to grow agribusiness.
Keep it up Mr President.
Would we be told if it wasn’t successful.
He is ridiculed all around because, he offers little and has no grip on his own Government.
I hate my skin for being black and Zambian, although inside of me I feel 100% white.
Thanks
BB2014,16
He should have stayed longer, at least 5 years. It was too short a visit.
nkafubabuba aaka kantu! mwati kuliciliwo buya mukatwe kaya?
If Lazy Lungu is on a working visit ..surely why should other people not work today but be disrupted to go and see him off to Lusaka at the airport. A person who is serious about work would have asked them not to come.
@ Peace for Zambia
Firstly, why blaming messenger instead of perpetrator?
As for the rest of comment, only “success” (LOL) has resulted in more money in his “pocket” from myriad of unjustified allowances.
@ 1.6 Lungu,
You question is very simple from my point of view.
If a bank employee steals money from a company and is caught in the fraud, does the court jail the chairman if the bank?
If an employee at a company such as Zamtel cornives with an outsider and sales company equipment, and is caught should the Zamtel director be jailed for the offense?
From your answers I will judge your way of thinking and determine whether we have similar views on issues or not.
@Peace for Zambia. Which president are you talking about? This Ka chakolwa is just an impositor. It will not work for him and all of you his cadres. Watch the space.
@ Peace for Zambia
“…If a bank employee steals money from a company and is caught in the fraud, does the court jail the chairman if the bank?…”
Before I can answer, can you re-formulate your question? Does bank employee steal money from the bank or company?
This indeed was successful, especially that the head of state had first hand information on agricultural activities.
I can see that president Lungu is a seriuos and focused leader.
He talks of diversifying the economy into agro activities and you can see that he is walking the talk.
He has met strategic business player to ensure facilitation of his vision to grow agribusiness.
Keep it up Mr President.
Welcome back my President. Davies Mwila has been a total imbicile while you were gone. Calling for violent takeovers of public trading places. Cane the bas turd.
Mmmmmmmm, thug Mr. Kudos has for a change started seeing some wrongs in his fellow thugs in PF,,,,,continue you thugs your days are numbered,,,though still searching for which party to defect to as the pf thugs have too selfish,,, but Up & Down party yena techiii !!! better naocha voters card yandi
If you read LT on Friday it clearly stated that this was a 2 day “working visit” but we know Lazy Lungu has no plan and does absolutely nothing in State House so the party was extended by one day.
What success? Are directives a measure of success? Leave Dora Siliya to run Agriculture and concentrate on Macro-Management. Zuma ,Khama,Mugufuli etc have already recognized President Adama Barrow of Gambia. What is Lungu ,Kabila Mugabe, Mu7, Dos Santos waiting for? To reverse Regime Change in Gambia? Illegitimate Lungu is scared stiff. The Petition is coming up on January 26, 2017 and all eyes on The AG and Justice Chitabo? SADC,AU,ECOWAS,UN etc are watching Lungu to see how many more tricks he has to delay the Petition Hearing further. Dictator Jammeh is no more in Gambia and is banished to Equatorial Guinea. Food for thought for Illegitimate Lungu!!
The presidency is too big a role for him the best position for him a Provisional Minister or a Deputy minister…the man has absolutely no clue..in business the CEO hires the best people to give himself time to do far important things for the company like formulate strategy and give direction…Lazy Lungu is absolutely hopeless!!
What success? This lazy bum goes for a drinking holiday and repeats old calls for “diversification” and his vuvuzela Chanda says it was a “success”!!!!
Bible says you will know the tree from its fruits. Jammeyh stole 11 million dollars and he is OUT!
This thief has already stolen 2.3 million dollars from poor Zambian people. Must we wait until he has stolen more?
@Truth – Who cares what the white man’s Bible says..the selfsame bible does not recognize you as a people BUT everyday you are quoting it – you never ever quote the wise sayings of your black brothers and freedom fighters who shade blood for you but glad to spew rubbish from that novel.
Kikikiki….His Excellent Chagwa Lungu tour of eastern region has provided news to UPNDonkeys. They have just stopped short of calling easterners mice eaters, maybe they realised their folly when they said this in the heat of the election results. But sorry its too late, the country heard you loud and clear. And made its judgement for 2021……
Great East. Ngoni’s rock! A Marvellous people!
He went and he saw and he gave some directives… Is this not the same thing he has been doing since scooping the presidency from a dead man? What has he achieved in terms of results? Apart from talking a lot and praying a lot and saying “I am humble” a lot?
You can really laugh. For this government, literally all trips are successful. Every thing is successful, every thing.Yaba…
Kajakete makwinya yachita over
And then the drama of government officials and cadres spewing their sweat stench at airports to see him coming in or out. You don’t see that rubbish in developed countries because people are busy with work. Mwanawasa tried to stop it but cadres and government officials continued to lazy around at airports
It’ll only be called successful when the trip bears FRUITS. Anyway for LUNGU who has never run any successful business, he can’t differentiate btwn success & failure.
@ Peace for Zambia
Look you deadhead, there is nothing serious to talk about this useless lazy bum of yours. The agriculture sector is under serious attack by army worms, delivery of inputs is seriously delayed and the minister responsible is busy bo.nking Kasais & posing with rapists in Las Vegas. And you call this serious, you must be mad in the head.
@ 13 Mulenga Sosa,
A person who talks to a deadhead is more of a deadhead himself.
If a person walks to a mad man and begins to tell the mad man:
“You are a mad man, you are a mad man, you are a mad man!”
Such a person is more critically mad than the perceived mad mad he is referring to.
This is exactly what applies to you.