In what is clearly like a hunter’s aim at hunger and, by extension, a step towards poverty eradication in Enugu State, the Governor, Mr. Peter Mbah, has commenced the distribution of inputs and grants worth over N4.6bn to farmers, communities, and IT startups in Enugu as he ratchets up his food security, agro-industrialisation, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) development drive in the Coal-City State.
Harping on the imperative of nurturing small-scale entrepreneurs for sustainable growth through the provision of the key enablers, the Governor, while performing the symbolic flag-off of the inputs and grants distribution at Okpara Square, Enugu, earlier today, Thursday, August 8, disclosed that a staggering 12,000 small-holder farmers would each receive one bag of fertiliser, which, he added, was “graciously” donated by the federal government to all the States.
“In addition, we would be giving out 51 power tillers worth N2m each to farmers from across farming clusters in Enugu State,” Mbah further disclosed.
“We are also flagging off today the distribution of agricultural inputs to 1,251 beneficiaries across the 17 local government areas. These inputs include rice and bean seedlings, cassava stems, organic fertilisers, herbicides, among others.”
To enhance agricultural production and make life easier for farmers in the rural areas, the Enugu Governor said his administration would be carrying out an extensive revamp of a number of rural roads to facilitate a better road network and ensure that the farming clusters springing up across the rural belt of the state do not exist as isolated units.
Mbah put the support to MSMEs at N1bn with women-owned enterprises getting 80 per cent of the entire sum.
“The value of our entrepreneurship intervention programme being flagged off today is N1bn. This includes the disbursement of N60,000 to over 16,000 beneficiaries, mostly comprising owners of nano-enterprises on a ratio of 80:20 in favour of women,” he said.
“Some may indeed wonder why this wide discrepancy. We recognise that much of the brunt of poverty is borne by women. That explains the extra efforts we put into expanding opportunities for the girl-child and women, especially in our rural communities.
“Still under our MSMEs intervention, we are disbursing N400,000 to 187 beneficiaries. Other initiatives in this regard for flag-off include N7.5m each to 10 tech startups, an operational grant for solar equipment to 256 beneficiaries, while items, including laptop computers and POS terminals, will be given out to 269 beneficiaries.”
In a similar development, the Governor said the state has declared war on open defecation with a view to eradicating it by the year’s end.
“We are launching, as well, a water provision and sanitation-enhancing initiative worth N15m across 135 communities. The total value translates to over N2bn.
“This involves the construction of ultra-modern boreholes, toilet facilities, and provision of power generators. These would be sited in locations like town halls, markets, and schools,” the Governor said.
Earlier in his address, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Patrick Ubru, enjoined the farmers and other beneficiaries to reciprocate government’s massive support through prudent application of the inputs and grants to create jobs, trigger revolution in the agricultural industry, and boost the state’s economy.
Speaking on the COVID Action Recovery Stimulus Programme, also known as EN-NG CARES, which was also flagged off at the event, the acting General Manager, Enugu State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) Ugochukwu Igwunnadi, said the initiative is aimed at providing financial resources to enhance social transfers to impoverished and vulnerable households in the State.
She explained that each community under the programme will receive a total budget envelope of N15 m, inclusive of 5% community counterpart contribution facilitated through the Community Project Management Committee (CPMC).
In his address, the Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Enugu State Chapter, Romanus Eze, assured the Governor that the farmers and other beneficiaries would not disappoint the government.
“We have never had it so good. Therefore, we will not disappoint you. We promise you concrete results, for to whom much is given, much is also expected,” he assured.
