The South-South Coordinator of the Nigerian Agribusiness and Agro-Industry Development Initiative, Howard Usen, made the vow while speaking at the inauguration of the South-South Youth in Agriculture, Akwa Ibom State Chapter, in Uyo.

He said the inauguration marked a turning point in youth participation in agriculture across the region, adding that many associations fail to attract meaningful funding due to a lack of structure and proper governance frameworks.

He explained that NAADI, in partnership with the Federation of Agricultural Communities of Nigeria, will assist the newly inaugurated body in developing covenants and operational standards that would meet global best practices.

According to him, NAADI will also partner with relevant expos and institutions to provide training for executives of the association across all local government areas of the state. He noted that the training would cover areas such as cooperative management, financial accountability, and the development of templates aligned with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation standards.

“With these minimum standards, accessing funding from government agencies, development partners, and international organisations will no longer be difficult,” he added.

In a goodwill message, the Head of Development Finance at the CBN, Uyo branch, Obinna Inyiama, assured that the apex bank is fully committed to supporting agric-related projects, particularly for youths.

He highlighted the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme as a key intervention window through which farmers could access loans of up to N1 million from Microfinance Banks, adding that CBN would guarantee 75 per cent of the loan value in case of default, thereby de-risking lending to young farmers.

“The facility can last up to one year, and beneficiaries who meet repayment obligations can reapply. With just 40 per cent of the interest amount paid by CBN, even as farmers can roll over into another cycle,” Inyiama explained, urging youths to take advantage of the scheme.

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Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Offiong Offor, commended the resilience of the Youth in Agriculture programme, recalling that Akwa Ibom youths have consistently topped national competitions due to record cassava yields and innovative farming practices.

She assured that the ministry would continue to provide improved seedlings and technical support in line with Governor Umo Eno’s ARISE Agenda on food security.

She, however, advised the new leadership of the youth body to always submit requests in good time to ensure the timely delivery of inputs.

Source: Punch

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“It is not enough to be party leaders and stakeholders by mouth; we must come with great influence at home, garnered through efforts of this nature, directly channelled to the people we hope to serve. We are not leaders by mere mouth, we must be leaders in words and deeds,” he said.

The Ejigbo-born politician also noted that every political office holder should be held accountable, as there has been a massive increment in the allocation that each state is accruing from the coffers of the Federal Government, adding that no Honorable Member representing Osun in the House of Representatives is collecting less than ₦1 billion.

He further urged the beneficiaries of these farm inputs to make judicious use of the chemicals, as this would make the scheme’s aim of raising local food production capacity to fix the country’s export deficit a reality.

In the same vein, a representative of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, M.O. Yahaya, lauded the facilitator of the programme, ASLER, and stressed that the kind gesture is coming at a point when the economy is shifting from oil exploration to agriculture.

She then enjoined the beneficiaries not to sell the inputs but to make use of them on their farm to ensure adequate provision of food.

Meanwhile, one of the beneficiaries of the programme, Adebisi Ayegbayo, who appreciated the facilitator, also maintained that the kind gesture is of high benefit as most farmers are getting ready for the rainy season.

The event, which was held at the Ejigbo Baptist High School playground, had in attendance distinguished guests, traditional rulers, religious leaders, farmers, and a host of others.

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During the ceremony, which took place at the community’s village square on Sunday, there were deliberate and aggressive efforts by the monarch, chiefs, young men and women, including the elderly to eradicate hunger and ensure food availability and sustainability through agricultural revival and consciousness among the teeming youths of the community.

It was gathered that the New Yam festival, known as ‘Iri-ji ohu,’ is a revered celebration that promotes Igbo cultural heritage and weaves together spiritual and cultural significance, reinforcing the people’s connection to their heritage, community and the divine.

In the region, only the monarch of a town has the right to celebrate the new yam festival first before the other people, after which every other member of the community would begin to celebrate.

Speaking with journalists during the celebration, the Chairman of Enugwu Adazi-Enu and a member of the cabinet of Igwe-in-council, Jideofor Okongwu, disclosed that the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Alphonsus Okpaluechelu, has already flagged off the festival, which he said he attended.

Okongwu, who is a lawyer, expressed fears that the youths were fast abandoning agriculture for white-collar jobs, a situation he said would lead to looming hunger and food crisis if deliberate measures are not in place to check the menace.

He informed that the community, through the festival, is driving massive agricultural revival among the youths to reawaken their agricultural consciousness to tackle the looming food crisis amidst increasing prices of food commodities.

He added that the focus of the festival, beyond dancing and merrymaking, is basically to encourage the youths to make a U-turn and embrace agriculture to improve food production to eradicate hunger, as well as a means to promote Igbo cultural heritage.

He said without the celebration of New Yam in Igboland, nobody should be authorised to eat new yam adding that many people have this erroneous belief that it is ‘idol worshipping, but there is nothing like idol worshipping in the celebration of new yam.

Similarly, a community leader, Odira Nnamdi, affirmed that the New Yam festival is Igbo Cultural heritage which their forefathers also celebrated and which cannot be abolished.

The high point of the event included the display of various masquerades, different cultural dance groups, and refreshments amongst others.

Recall that the governor of Anambra State,  Chukwuma Soludo, had during last year’s celebration, advocated a joint celebration of the New Yam festival to foster unity among Ndịgbo across the South-East.

The governor said that celebrating the ‘Iri Ji Festival’ in unison would show the world that the Igbos have a wonderful culture, pointing out that it was the first time every local government in the state came together to celebrate.

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