The Senior Special Assistant, SSA to the President on Community Development (South East) Mrs Chioma Nweze has said that she was working with South East Governors to end insecurity and develop the region.
She disclosed this to journalists in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital shortly after handing agricultural equipment to International Food for Agricultural Development (IFAD) beneficiaries procured by the Federal Government to rural farmers in the state.
Mrs Chioma who decried the menace of insecurity in the region maintained that agriculture is one of the policies of the federal government to end insecurity and boost food security in the Southeast.
“I am discussing with South East Governors and we are going to agree on what we are going to do about security in our region.
“When IPOB started, the former Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi shouted that Ebonyi people shouldn’t join them, that we have been marginalized over a long period of time, that we should bend down and develop our state.
“The thing about life is that when one hand touches palm oil, it will affect other hands, now the thing is affecting all of us.
“So, I’m working tirelessly with the governors of the southeast region to ensure that this menace of insecurity is stopped” she stated.
“The President is interested in what happens at the grassroots level. The President has recognized that communities are the strength of the nation. When the people in the communities are strong, that means the government is strong.
“This IFAD program will end in a year plus. We are sure that, with what we are seeing and the positive impact/ benefits, the program will continue and we are going to expand it.
Mrs Nweze during a courtesy visit to Governor Francis Nwifuru urged states to release more funds for agricultural programs at the grassroots.
She commended the Ebonyi state government for the release of N100 million naira to IFAD as the state’s counterpart fund.
She added: “I encourage states to release more funds to IFAD because IFAD is about the people in the grassroots, the communities. The beneficiaries shouldn’t eat their seed money, there was a time they gave people rice to plant and they ate it. Once you plant, you will reap.
“The more you plant, the more you reap. The next generation of billionaires are going to be agriculturists. The people that are going to make money in this country are people who take agriculture to the next level.
“The president wants to remove all these baggers from the streets. He wants to remove them so that we can go into agriculture. If you want to go into fishery, poultry, etc, we are there to help, so that you can be self-sustainable.”
Post a Comment