The National Rice Producers, Processors, Millers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NARPPMMAN), has distributed farm inputs to over 1000 farmers in Kogi.

Speaking at the inauguration on Wednesday in Lokoja, the National Prisdent of the association, Mr. Mustapha Ahmadu, noted that the inputs was to boost dry season farming activities of farmers affected by the recent flood disaster.

Ahmadu said that the project would mitigate the devastating flood effects in the lives of the farmers, prevent food crisis and ensure food availability in the country.

He added that the gesture would also empower farmers with low economic structures to be able to cope with the impending challenges ahead of the Federal Government’s plan to remove fuel subsidy in 2023.

He said the association had mobilised its members across the 14 States especially those affected by flood to benefit from the 14 hectares’ dry season farming project sponsored by the association and its private partners.

He urge beneficiaries to guard the initiative jealously to achieve the desired goals and for its sustainability.

He further appealed to traditional rulers of each benefited local government to encourage their subjects to adhere to the agreement by paying their equity loans to attract more Agric projects to the communities.

He enjoined the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development not to relent its effort at ensuring that Nigeria attain food sufficiency.

He stressed that food security remained fundamental and panacea to some of the societal problems facing the nation.

Ahmadu sympathised with flood victims and commended Governor Yahaya Bello for working tirelessly in mitigating the flood effects residents.

The NARPPMMAN’s President further praised the governor for creating the enabling environment for agricultural businesses to thrives in the state.

In his remarks, Kogi Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr David Apeh, appreciated the association for the initiative and assured that the state ministry of Agriculture would give necessary support to the programme.

Apeh, who was represented by Mr Enejoh Alih, a Director in the ministry, said over 200 two hundred communities were affected by the recent flooding.

The commissioner appealed to the association to monitor the distribution of the inputs to ensure they get to the targeted farmers in the rural communities..

Apeh advised beneficiaries not to sell the inputs, but make proper use of them to better their lives and contribute their quotas to the development of Agriculture in the state.

On his part, the Vice National Prisdent, North Central Zone, Mr Ishaku Samaila, said the dry season private partnership project of the association was an initiative to ensure that farmers get the necessary inputs at a right time to boost food production in the country.

He explained that farmers would provide the equity contribution of the cost, and advised them to make judicious use of the inputs.

This, he said would enable them to pay the loans to enable the association do more for them in subsequent farming seasons.

The state’s Chairman of the Association, Mr Ikani Davidson, expressed the commitment of the association in Kogi to partner with the state government and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the association achieved the set objectives in food productions.

Two beneficiaries, Ebiloma Ogbogbo and Memunat Suleiman, appreciated the association for the initiative and promised to use the inputs judiciously according to expectations.

The inputs distributed include: Rice seed, fertilizers, herbicides among others.

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The Minister, Hajia Sadiya Farouq, who inaugurated the disbursement on Tuesday in Lokoja, said other beneficiaries under the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) would also get their various package.

She said the programmes include: Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP 2.0), Digitised Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), NPower and Home Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP).

She said the NSIP remained a project that is consistent with the deliberate National agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari, to lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.

She said the GVG was designed to provide a one-off cash grant of N20,000 to some of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians in the rural and peri-urban areas to ease them out of poverty.

The Minister, who was represented by the Director of Special Duties in the Ministry, Mrs Nadia Soso-Muhammed, said their target was to disburse the grant to 3,415 beneficiaries across the 21 local government areas of Kogi.

She noted that President Buhari through his deliberate social inclusion agenda, had directed that 70 per cent of the beneficiaries should be women, and 30 per cent youths.

She added that 15 per cent of the total beneficiaries would be allocated to the people with special needs and the senior citizens.

She explained that the GEEP 2.0, was in three categories: Trader-moni, Market-moni and Farmer-moni, in which beneficiaries would get loans ranging from 50,000 to N300,000 with zero interest depending on the category.

She stressed that the GEEP 2.0 was designed for the vulnerable and low-income Nigerians involved in commercial activity and capacity but never had opportunity to access loans.

She said about 1,142,783 potential beneficiaries had been registered across the 774 LGAs in Nigeria out of which 50,394 were from Kogi.

She added 14,404 out of the 50,394 registered in Kogi had been verified out of which about 3, 437 were enumerated and selected for payment in the first phase.

The minister said a total of 9.9 million children are currently being fed nationwide, adding that President Buhari had approved additional 5 million children to be included.

She commended Governor Yahaya Bello for his immense contribution and commitment which had ensured the great success the NSIP had recorded in Kogi.

Farouq urged all beneficiaries of the various programmes to use the grant and the loans to improve their productivity, create wealth, employment, and improve their living standard.

In his remarks, the Governor thanked the President and the Minister for all the various intervention programmes that the federal government had put in place for Kogi people and Nigeria at large.

The governor, who was represented by the Head of Service, Mrs Hannah Odiyo, thanked the Ministry for identifying with the people of Kogi during the flood disaster that ravaged the state.

He noted that aside partnering with the federal government on NSIP, he established healthcare programme, known as ”Bello Care Programme” which had been taken care of the health needs of the vulnerable citizens of the state free of charge.

The governor said that as ‘a pace setter’ he remained committed and not relent in setting the pace for others to follow in all aspects of the economy.

He urged the federal government to do everything within its power to make Kogi a disaster resilient state, so that it could withstand the incessant flood disasters.

Earlier, Hon Abdukareem Suleiman Onyekehi, the State’s NSIP Focal Person, said the programmes were huge and unprecedented, and meeting government’s aims and objectives towards eradicating poverty, and creating job.

Onyekehi, who doubles as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Projects, said a total of 353,768 beneficiaries had directly and indirectly benefitted from the NSIP in Kogi State.

According to him, 12, 964 youths benefitted in the Npower Batch A and B, while over 26,000 are benefiting in batch C (Stream 1&2) with 30,000 monthly stipend.

The focal person added that about 200,000 public schools’ pupils are currently benefitting in the school feeding programme with the engagement of 3000 cooks in the state.

He further said that over 74,000 poor and vulnerable citizens are beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer who are receiving N10,000 bi-monthly, aimed at eradicating poverty in the state.

He, therefore appreciated the President, the Minister and the Governor for the laudable programmes.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the representatives of the minister and the governor presented the cash grant and other items to the various beneficiaries based on their categories.

Mr Ibrahim Arome, the Chairman of Persons with Disability in Kogi, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked the the President, the Minister, the Governor and the focal person for the gesture.

Arome specially thanked the governor for the practical inclusion of persons with disability in the state, saying they have been involved directly in all the intervention programmes.

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The Kogi West Senatorial District Flagbearer for National Rescue Movement, NRM, Mallam Bala Abdulghafar Dirisu has assured of effective representation if elected.

The frontline Kogi West Senatorial District candidate gave the assurance while sympathizing with the people affected by flood in the district, assured of support and palliatives to cushion there losses and displacement.

Mall. Bala noted that the perennial flooding has become a cause for concern, assuring that if elected he will work with the relevant authorities on the need to build dams and other measures to stem the negative effect of flooding.

The NRM Senatorial District Flagbearer says he joined in sympathizing with the people, assured of support that would help them resettle back to their homes.

He called on the people of Kogi West Senatorial District to see NRM as the best alternative to the poor representation the district has witnessed in the past, saying he has a broad understanding of the need of the people.

He promised to work towards ensuring the yearning and aspirations of the people, saying he has worked out a wholistic blueprint that will improve on the quality of lives of the people of Kogi West Senatorial District.

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, has donated relief materials to victims of flood disaster in 10 local government areas of Kogi State.

The Minister of the ministry, Hajia Sadiya Farouq disclosed this on Tuesday during the inauguration ceremony at Government House Lokoja.

Farouq noted that she was in the State to convey the sympathy of the Federal Government to the Government and people of Kogi over the flood that occurred in some areas of the State.

”Kogi State, having the confluence of the two major Rivers; Niger and Benue is often exposed to the risk of flooding.

”Available information indicates that this year so far, flood has affected many communities and displaced many persons, some of whom are still being rescued and evacuated from water-trapped areas.

”President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR is concerned about the flood and has directed the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to activate the National Emergency Management Agency to respond in providing necessary supports to the persons affected by the floods”, she said.

Farouq said that the relief items had already been approved to complement the efforts of the State Government in providing succor to the affected persons in 10 local government areas of Kogi.

According to her, the LGAs are: Ibaji, Lokoja, Kogi, Bassa, Ajaokuta, Igalamela/Odolu, Idah, Ofu and Omala Local Government Areas.

”The items which will be delivered before the end of this week are: 2,931 (12.5kg) bags of rice, 2,931 (12.5kg) bags of garri, 2,931 (25kg) bags of beans, 488 cartons of seasoning, and 244 cartons of tomato paste.

”Others are 293 (20 Litres) kegs of vegetable oil, 146 (20kg) bags of salt, 117 bags of sugar, 5,260 pieces each of mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets and nylon mats,

”Others include: 4,120 bags of cement, 4,120 bundles of roofing sheets, 4,120 pieces of ceiling board, 1,373 packets of zinc nails, 458 bags of 3 inch nails”, Farouq said.

She reassured the governor that NEMA staff would work with your State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) throughout the period of the flood.

She added: ”May I therefore on behalf of the Federal Government flag off the relief distribution to the flood affected persons”.

In his remarks, the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on behalf of the people of Kogi, thanked the President Buhari for the gesture and for always listening to the cry of Nigerians especially to the people of Kogi State.

He noted that the perennial flooding is natural disaster and not manmade saying Kogi was always the worst hit especially being a confluence State.

He stressed the need for Kogi State to always get double of relief materials given to other States due to the peculiarity of its geographical location.

”We want to sincerely appreciate the federal government but we request for more.

”We want provision from FG to accommodate construction and reconstruction of the eroded roads and infrastructures in those critically affected LGAs that had been washed away by flood.

”We have always followed all the policies of the federal government in ensuring that we produce what we eat; we are empowering our people through agriculture.

The governor further appreciated the minister for all the humanitarian packages under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) which many citizens of Nigerians especially Kogi had benefitted from.

In his vote of thanks, the Deputy Governor, Mr Edward Onoja, commended the minister and the DG NEMA for the usual gesture and passion of President Buhari for the Nigerians especially Kogi state.

The NEMA is responsible for bringing the relief materials to Kogi, while the Minister inaugurated the distribution on behalf of the federal government.

The Minister was accompanied by the Director General of NEMA, Air Vice Marshal Muhammadu Muhammed (rtd); Minister of State FCT Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani, among others.

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