Former Anambra state governor and presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi has donated N20 million to a farming project of the Enugu Catholic Diocese.
Obi visited the 500 hectares Mary Agrofarm Institute located at Omughu community, Ezeagu south local government area of Enugu yesterday accompanied by the proprietor of the farm,auxiliary bishop of Enugu diocese, Most Rev Ernest Obodo.
Obi praised the vision and resilience of the auxiliary bishop in embarking on the farming project saying that agriculture has higher potentials in developing Nigeria than oil.
Obi said there is no developed country he had ever travelled to that has such a large expanse of uncultivated land like he saw while travelling from the Nkwo Obinagu end of the Enugu -Onitsha Expressway to the farm site, a journey of over twenty kilometres.
Obi said “We can’t have this vast uncultivated land that I saw from the Expressway to this farm in any developed country. I believe we can make more money from investing in agriculture than what we are earning from oil.
“My Lord Bishop, when we were coming into this place, at one point I got tired because of the bad road, the vast uncultivated land we are passing through, but, I said I can’t go back because I’m with my Lord Bishop.
“So, my Lord Bishop, I want to thank you for what you are doing here. I will continue to support you because I believe that we should invest in productivity”, Obi said.
Expressing his gratitude to Obi’s gesture, Most Rev Obodo said, out of the 500 hectares, they have already cultivated 100 hectares with cassava.
He said they have plans to plant 1000 palm trees, fish farm, farm produce processing factories, rice farm, assuring that the farming when fully developed would provide job opportunities to thousands of youths in addition to serving as food supply source to the nation.
The clergy stated that the farm has a great all seasons water supply source from the Ajali River that flows through the farm area.
He said that the governor of Enugu state, Peter Mbah had already promised to tarred the road leading to the farm from the Enugu -Onitsha Expressway
