By Dare Akogun
The Kwara State Government has distributed a total of 1, 200 bags of Fertilizers to flood victims in Patigi and Edu Local Government Areas of the state respectively.
The distribution exercise which was held at the Agricultural Development Project Office (ADP), in Lafiagi and Patigi, Headquarters of the two Local Governments, was a follow up to the earlier promise made during the sympathy visit of the state government delegation, led by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mallam Gidado AbdulLateef Alakawa in October this year.
Flagging off the exercise, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mallam Gidado AbdulLateef Alakawa said the gesture is to mitigate the devastating impacts of the recent flood disaster on indigenous farmers and boost food security in the state and the country at large.
According to him, the state government under the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq believed that Nupe people were very enterprising, especially when provided with enabling environment and necessary support to make them thrive in their farming activities.
“This is the first phase of the interventions line up for the farmers and the people of your Communities. The present administration believe in giving you this item to make you to be productive in the society by creating employment opportunities for value chain operators, increase food security and revenue generation for the state,” the Commissioner said.
Mallam Alakawa stated that the distributed items would afford the farmers the needed support to resume their farming activities during the dry season, with a view to assisting the state government in achieving its all-year-round farming programme.
He encouraged the farmers not to lose hope in the state government, pointing out that government is working round the clock in collaboration with other relevant agencies to bring more relief to cushion their plight.
Alakawa further urged the farmers not to sell the items in order to achieve government objectives on the programme.
The beneficiaries cut across the 10 wards each of Edu and Patigi Local Government Areas with four bags of fertilizer per farmer.
The Transition Implementation Committee Chairman, Patigi Local Government, Alh. Mohammed Liman appreciated the state government gesture, noting that it would cushion the hardship caused by the flood disaster in the area.
Also in his remarks at Lafiagi in Edu Local Government, the TIC Chairman, Mallam Mohammed Aliyu said the gesture would reduce the hunger and help to increase the farmers’ income.
A representative of the beneficiaries, Mohammed Salihu from Dumagi, Shonga ward ll, thanked the state governor for coming to their rescue and assured that the items would be judiciously utilized.
Salihu however promised that the people of the Communities would show their appreciation at the appropriate time.
