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By George Onyejiuwa
Chairman, Agriculture Committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Olejeme, has said that the demise of the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu (Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo) left vacuum towards the development of Igboland.
Recalling Iwuanyanwu’a last meeting with the members of Agriculture Committee in May 2024, she revealed that he approved full implementation of the committee’s strategy document as well as the committee’s request to open an administrative office in Abuja.
Expressing her committee’s sadness over the death of the Igbo leader, Olejeme noted that Ndigbo has “lost a pathfinder, father and key industrialist, who not only helped to develop other regions but also strengthened development in the Aladigbo region.”
Olejeme in her committee’s strategic presentation captioned, “Pathways to Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Alaigbo,” expressed her belief that the committee’s recommendation can transform the agricultural sector, ensure food security, provide social inclusion, create jobs, develop infrastructure and above all secure the future of all communities across Alaigbo.
She contended that the spirit behind the development of the strategic document was to reposition Aladigbo for greatness in spite of the numerous challenges the region has faced in recent years. Such challenges, according to her, include insurrections, insurgency, banditry, population growth, and climate change.
These problems, she said, have exacerbated food insecurity, poverty, inequality, and unemployment across the region.
Her words: “To address these challenges, our committee has identified several key strategies: Agric Financing Services, Adoption of Innovations, Greenhouse Technologies to protect crops from adverse weather and enhance year-round production, Produce Aggregation Facilities system to ensure consistent and timely delivery of farm outputs.
“Others include, developing seedling support programmes to improve crop productivity, improved tools and equipment by providing access to modern farming tools and machinery to increase productivity, soil improvement by utilizing science and technology to enhance soil conditions for various crops, agricultural education to guide farmers in adopting new technologies, storage and processing facilities to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance food security, market linkages, gender inclusion and youth empowerment: Promoting inclusive approaches to engage women and youths in agriculture, etc,” she stated.
The Agric Committee proposed the establishment of the Ohanaeze Agriculture Trust Fund (OATF) to help in creating a financing structure to support agribusiness projects as well as fostering societal unity among the Aladigbo.
