By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
The lawmaker representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi at the weekend distributed 20kg bags of rice and other relief materials to the 5,000 downtrodden households in his zone.
Nwebonyi, who is the Senate Deputy Chief Whip also distributed farm inputs including 50kg bag of rice seedlings, herbicides, insecticides and croptonic organic fertiliser to over 4,000 farmers from the constituency.
Flagging of the program at Mbeke Primary School, Isophumini Ishieke in Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, the Senator said he began early to distribute the farm inputs to the targeted beneficiaries to ensure that a better yield would be guaranteed in the next harvest period.
He noted that the farm inputs would help to promote food security against the hunger ravaging the nation, and encouraged the constituents especially the youth to key into farming.
His words: "We are using this program to let the youth know that agriculture is the next way to go. We are crying about unemployment, hunger in the land and economic hardship but miracles will not happen. We must do something to make sure something good happens. With what I have done today, I have distributed farm inputs to 4,000 farmers in Ebonyi North Senatorial zone.
"They are getting the rice seedlings, herbicides, modern fertiliser, and insecticides in case of pests.
"All these are provided at least for one hectare per farmer, and I'm optimistic that by next year, the scarcity of food will be a thing of the past.
"I want to use this medium to thank the stakeholders. We didn't stop at the farm inputs, but we have also targeted 5,000 households, to be given a 20kg bag of rice per household and that is what we have done here. We charge the local government chairmen, the traditional leaders and other leaders in the four local government areas that make up Ebonyi North Senatorial District to ensure the remaining ones which were not shared here get to the targeted beneficiaries.
"We are advising the farmers not to sell the inputs but to plant them because that's the only way we can fight hunger and revive our economy.
"Remember as a country we have fertile land and manpower. What is required, is a commitment, particularly on the side of the youth because agriculture is the way to go. It's only agriculture will revive our dying economy and that's the point I'm trying to prove with the support of President Bola Tinubu through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture that made these inputs available. We are here to make sure it goes down to the hinterlands and on the targeted farmers.
"Gone are the days when inputs will be given to farmers they will sell them. If you are selling these inputs you are selling your destiny.
"So, I expect you to take advantage of this opportunity and let's collectively fight hunger and hardship in Nigeria.
"The farmers were selected from the village heads down to the hinterlands because the village leadership is the last form of leadership. Each farmer is getting three litres of croptonic organic fertiliser, three litres of herbicides, 50kg bag of rice seedlings and insecticides."
The distributions of the palliatives and farm inputs were supervised by Governor Francis Nwifuru represented by the State Assembly Deputy Speaker, Comrade Chinedu Onah, the representative of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Williams Onwe, Managing Director of Croptonic Organic World, Emeka Ajoiyi, among other government functionaries and stakeholders from the Ebonyi North Senatorial District.
