A total of 100 small-scale farmers drawn from Bauchi and Gombe States have been empowered with farming inputs and the sum of N50,000 by the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa in Gombe State.
The distribution of the items and cash took place over the weekend, at the Conference Hall of Destination Hotel, Bauchi attracting the small-scale farmers from rural communities of the Two States of Bauchi and Gombe.
In remarks before the distribution of the items, Mr. Kingsley Anyiam of INECHECK Consultants, that provided the technical support for the exercise, said that the empowerment effort was another initiative of the Federal Government through the Horticulture College.
According to him, it was aimed at improving the living standards of vulnerable target groups that cut across men, women and youths within the North Eastern States of Bauchi and Gombe.
Anyiam also said that, when utilized, the initiative would no doubt ensure food security at a household level, the two states and Nigeria as a whole.
On his part, an official of the Federal College of Horticulture, Haruna Ayuba said that the selection of beneficiaries was painstakingly done using evidence-based eligibility to target the right beneficiaries.
Ayuba then called on the beneficiaries not to sell the items, but to utilise it in creating wealth through food production and a value chain system.
In a goodwill message, a member of Bauchi traditional institution and community leader, the Sarkin Fulanin Bauchi, Alhaji Is’haq Sambo urged the beneficiaries to utilize the items and cash for the intended purpose.
Is’haq Sambo thanked the Federal College of Horticulture Dakin Kowa and INECHECK Consultants for the meticulous manner they deployed in ensuring that the items get to the intended beneficiaries of the Two States of Bauchi and Gombe.
Earlier in his remarks, Coordinator of the empowerment programme at the State level, Umar Abdulhameed said that his team had gone around to several communities to identify beneficiaries using the criteria spelt out in the selection process.
He then thanked the beneficiaries for the orderly manner they demonstrated throughout the selection process pointing out that it was a worthwhile exercise that paved the way for the empowerment program.
Speaking to our correspondent on the sideline, a beneficiary, Mariam Iliya expressed her gratitude to the Federal College of Horticulture and INECHECK consultants for leading the process of distributing the empowerment items without fuss or rancor.
Iliya assured that the items and cash received would be judiciously used for the intended purposes.
Other beneficiaries also thanked the Federal Government and implementers of the empowerment program for their thoughtfulness and seamless implementation of the exercise.
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