Deputy senate president, Senator Jubril Barau and the minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari have declared that the reforms in the agriculture sector by President Bola Tinubu are producing the desired results.
The duo spoke at an agriculture and human capital development empowerment programme organised by the senator representing Kwara Central, Salihu Mustapha, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
Barau said agriculture and human capital development are key areas for national development.
Senator Mustapha distributed empowerment tools and materials to over 2,500 constituents in Ilorin.
At the event tagged, “Alubarika 1.0 Agricultural and Human Capital Development Empowerment Programme” and held at the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority’s premises in Ilorin, Barau said there is no need to waste much time talking about the importance of agriculture to every society. Agriculture is the sine qua non to survival of any society.
“It is the foundation of any society because without food, no life. No wonder, the Senate decided to pick Mustapha as its Agriculture Committee chair.
He is an outstanding person and a party leader that knows how to go about it.
“We have all decided to come here and share this moment with our brother, Senator Saliu Mustapha because of this great empowerment programme for constituents in the area of agriculture and human capital development.
“These are key areas that are very important to our national development “Because we don’t need to waste much time talking about the importance of agriculture in every society. Agriculture is sine qua non to the survival of every society because without food no life.
“And this is a cardinal programme of this administration and the renewed Hope of Mr President to provide food for all.
“No wonder the constituents decided to pick Saliu Mustapha, who is an outstanding person and party leader in this country.
“He is a very friendly human being, industrious and peaceful, who connects with everybody in the Senate. In fact, you’ve done the right thing by electing him.
“All the time he’s going to speak on the floor of the Senate, it’s about what is going to come to Kwara,” Barau said
In his address, Kyari said the ongoing reforms initiated by President Tinubu on food security were working.
He said, “We have seen that food is not only available, but the prices are gradually becoming affordable.
“That is to show that the president is working for the best interest of all Nigerians. I would commend my partners in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for doing well and being alive with the aspiration of the president.”
Earlier, Senator Mustapha said his empowerment scheme aligned with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, adding that, “we took time to train people interested in maintaining, repairing and restoring solar panels.”
Mustapha said the empowerment was meant to make the beneficiaries, who included market women, farmers, artisans and trade associations, to become self-reliant.
He said apart from the physical empowerment materials, the beneficiaries had been trained and certificated on how to use the tools and carry out their trade as entrepreneurs.
Mustapha said: “Today’s programme is just a symbolic one to flag off what we intend to do with most of our people we have trained.
“This time around, we decided that it is not only about giving out sewing machines or giving out things to people and they will not value it.
“We decided to put them through a series of programmes and training. In fact, we are missing out on one vital aspect. Everywhere you go now, you’ll see solar streetlights.
“We took time to train our indigenes who are interested in learning to maintain, to repair and to install solar panels.
“The most fascinating part was when I came during a training exercise and I saw a lot of women who were part of it and I asked, ‘in our community here that I thought was conservative for women to climb roof and poles?’
“I saw them in their overall, they are fully trained now on how to install, repair and maintain solar inverters. All of them are here too and they will get their working tools.
“Most of the people you see here under the canopies are not just political spectators, these are carefully chosen beneficiaries who have gotten through training. We are not holding a political rally or jamboree here.”
Apart from the prior entrepreneurial training and certification of the beneficiaries by the lawmaker, empowerment materials distributed during the event which was well attended by dignitaries and beneficiaries, included 250 deep freezers, tricycles, 100 live cows, 400 grinding machines, eight tractors for all the local governments in Kwara Central, vehicles, gas powered oven with cylinders, 400 irrigation machines, full university scholarship for 200 students, various food stuffs, fertilizers and farm inputs and power transformers among others.
Among the dignitaries at ceremony were the deputy senate leader, Senator Lola Ashiru (Kwara South); senate chief whip, Mohammed Monguno; chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru; national secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru; Chief Imam of Ilorin, Muhammadu Bashir, Emir of Ilorin, Sulu Gambari, represented by Modibo Sulu Gambari and Senator Aminu Iyal Abass.
