Agriculture

NO fewer than 250 women and youth incubatees on Thursday graduated from the Federal Government Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) agribusiness programme in Edo.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Benin, the National Coordinator, Mr Sanni Abiodun, said that the project was in line with the president’s vision for national food security, especially in the Niger Delta.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the LIFE-ND project in Edo was being funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Federal, Niger Delta Development Commission and Edo government (NDDC).

Abiodun was represented by the Mrs Stella Manureh, the representative of NDDC on the project.

He said that the federal government “is promoting agriculture as an alternative source of foreign exchange earnings, especially as the earnings from oil was dwindling”.

He noted that the project was being implemented in Abia,
Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo State and Rivers.

“In each state, the project is designed to operate in 10 local government areas and in 10 communities in each local government.

“Thus bringing the total number of participating local governments to 90 and participating communities to 900.

“The project is targeted at the unemployed youth between the age of 18 years and 35 years as well as women households with children less than15 years of age, willing to engage in production, processing and marketing.

“The incubatees are engaged in four selected commodities of rice, cassava, fishery and poultry in Edo.

“Today, the project is graduating 250 incubatees from the first and second batches of incubatees who have undergone the incubation process,” he said.

Edo Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Security Stephen Idehenre in his goodwill massage congratulated the graduands.

Idehenre said that Gov. Godwin Obaseki was passionate about the project, noting that the governor had also executed various agricultural programmes aimed at reducing unemployment and ensuring food security.

In his welcome address, the State Coordinator, LIFE-ND, Jude Ekpu said that the project was being implemented in 10 local government area and in 100 communities in the state.

Ekpu explained that so far, the project had engaged, trained and empowered beneficiaries across 50 communities through the incubation model.

Mr Mavis Edogiawerie, an incubatees who graduated from the fishery enterprise in Uteh community on behalf of other graduands, thanked the federal government for the opportunity.

Highpoints of the event was the presentation of cash award to best graduating incubatees.(NAN)

KN

Tags: Godwin Obaseki Jude Ekpu LIFE-ND Mavis Edogiawerie NDDC Sanni Abiodun Stella Manureh