Benue govt donates 10,000 oil palm seedlings to empower youths
From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
As part of his administration’s programme to empower the youths economically, the Benue State Government has distributed 10,000 stands of hybrid oil palm seedlings to youths of the state.
The programme is done under Governor Hyacinth Alia’s Youth Palm Legacy Project, a project establish to support the youth establish themselves economically.
Speaking in Makurdi during the flag-off of the distribution of the seedlings to youths from the three Senatorial Zones of the state, a chieftain of the APC, Senator Barnabas Gemade commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for his foresight emphasizing that palm tree cultivation had become a big source of income around the world.
Gemade who was represented by the state Commissioner for Sports and Creativity, Mr. Terkimbi Ikyange, noted the importance of the intervention describing it as a “legacy project.”
According to him, “It takes a person with foresight like Governor Hyacinth Alia to initiate this kind of project which will in three years turn the beneficiaries to millionaires given the income that they would generate when the trees start producing.
“It is indeed a legacy project because the beneficiaries will be raking good money from the fruits even after the Governor has served out his term.”
He announced a donation of 1,000 more stands of oil palm seedlings to the youths and urged them to give plants special attention to enable them to reap the benefits.
The Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hyacinth Dajoh, commended Governor Alia for giving special attention to the youths of the state pointing out that the youths of the state have not had it so good in recent times.
The speaker who was represented by his wife, Cynthia Dajoh, said since Alia arrived as Governor of Benue, the state has become a theatre for the youths.
He urged the youths to take advantage of the project and make good of it saying “This initiative clearly tells us that this is a government that cares for the youths, a people-orientated government that wants to see our youths grow and prosper. I therefore urge our youths and the people of the state to continue to support this government that means well for us all.”
Commissioner for Finance and Budget Planning, Michael Oglegba, who described palm farming as a big business noted that it had the potential of completely turn around the fortunes of beneficiaries.
He said “What they are giving you is a gift. It is more than giving you money. The palm tree business is big business. Palm oil is more expensive than crude oil and more valuable. Our people have much land so I advise we use the land well by planting and nurturing these trees until they start yielding fruits.”
Oglegba also supported the project with a donation of 1000 oil palm seedlings to the youths
The State Youth Leader and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Youth Mobilization and Empowerment, Moses Mkeenem lauded Governor Alia for providing the 10,000 palm seedlings noting that it would in less than three years completely turnaround the fortunes of the beneficiaries.
Mr. Mkeenem explained that the trees would be distributed to the youths in the three Senatorial Districts of the state to enable them to establish themselves and become self-reliant.
The State Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, Mrs. Gloria Bai who described the initiative as a necessity urged the beneficiaries to nurture the plants to reap the benefits.
She lamented that youths from the state are going from Benue to other parts of the country; southeast and other places to work for people in their palm, cocoa and rubber plantations.
Bai who advised the youths to leverage the opportunity said with the seedlings they can establish their own plantation, work for themselves and add value to their lives.
