By Awwal Umar Kontagora Over 200 beneficiaries, including women and youth across Niger State, have received agricultural inputs ...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
Over 200 beneficiaries, including women and youth across Niger State, have received agricultural inputs distributed by the wife of the Niger State Governor, Hajiya Fatima Umaru Bago.
The items distributed included seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, livestock feed, and other farming equipment.
The distribution, held in collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and the Niger State Government, was aimed at empowering grassroots farmers.
Flagging off the event, Hajiya Fatima Bago described the initiative as “planting for the future,” emphasizing that empowering women and youth can unlock their potential to transform the agricultural sector and secure the nation's future.
She stated that the programme encompasses various agricultural sectors, including crop farming, livestock production, poultry, and aquaculture.
“Supporting women and youth with the tools they need will help them thrive in agriculture, strengthen the food production chain, and build a more inclusive and resilient agricultural economy that will ultimately contribute to national food sufficiency,” she said.
Hajiya Fatima Bago expressed appreciation to Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the Niger State Government, and other stakeholders whose contributions ensured the success of the initiative.
She urged beneficiaries to make good use of the inputs, turn their farms into models of excellence, and inspire others through their success. She also noted that the beneficiaries' progress would be monitored.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affirmative Action, Mrs. Mary Noel-Berje, said the initiative aligns with the New Niger Agenda of Governor Umaru Bago, aimed at unlocking the full potential of citizens, particularly women, to drive agriculture and ensure food security.
She commended both Senator Tinubu and Hajiya Fatima Bago for creating grassroots opportunities for women through proactive engagement.
According to her, of the 200 beneficiaries, 100 are women, while the remaining 100 include youth and selected public school students, in an effort to revive agriculture in schools.
In their goodwill messages, the Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr. Hadiza Asabe Mohammed, and the Chairperson of Nigeria Women in Agriculture (Niger State Chapter), Mrs. Victoria Alkali Yakubu, expressed appreciation to both the state and federal administrations for their continued support of women and for integrating public schools into agricultural development.
Symbolic presentations of the agricultural inputs were made to beneficiaries, including representatives of public schools.
Some of the recipients expressed gratitude and pledged to make judicious use of the tools to boost agricultural productivity in the state.
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