Grant
By Joy Akinsanya
Abeokuta, June 7, 2024 (NAN) Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, the wife of Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, on Friday in Abeokuta urged beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) grants to judiciously utilise them.
Abiodun, who is also the state coordinator of RHI, gave the charge during the disbursement and interactive session with 20 beneficiaries drawn from all the state’s Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The governor’s wife said they must use the grants in boosting food sufficiency and security.
She noted that the exercise was in fulfilment of the promise of N10 million to boost food production in each of the states, with each of the beneficiaries receiving N500,000.
“The disbursement is in accordance with the directive of the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, to support 20 female farmers from each state with N500,000 each.
”It is to encourage more women to be involved in the agricultural sector,” Abiodun added.
Earlier, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Bolu Owotomo, had said the event was in furtherance of government’s commitment to promoting and empowering women in the sector.
Owotomo added that the grant was given to ensure adequate food production in the state in particular and the country at large.
“Achieving sustainable development in agriculture plays a critical role in ensuring food sufficiency. The RHI is to assist female farmers to help strengthen the sector.
“So, you must maximally make use of this gesture to meet the purpose it is meant for,” he said.
Owotomo urged the beneficiaries to form groups and register with the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project to further benefit from other government interventions.
He said this would increase food production and improve their livelihood.
In his remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Dr. Angel Adelaja, noted that the role of women in agriculture could not be over emphasised.
He promised to give all necessary support to women farmers and ensure they were not left out in various intervention programmes to help them improve.
Responding on the farmers’ behalf, Mrs Elizabeth Kalejaye, a fish farmer, and Mrs Temitope, a poultry farmer, applauded the initiative, saying the money would be used to expand their businesses.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on April 16 First Lady Oluremi Tinubu had flagged off the RHI Women Agricultural Support Programme for the South-West in Abeokuta.
She has so far empowered 120 women farmers in the south-west geo-political zone with N60 million, with 20 of them from Ogun.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
IOJ/EOB/OLAL
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(Edited by Edith Bolokor and Olawale Alabi)
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