From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
Farmers in Ebonyi South Senatorial District, last week, sang praises of their senator, Prof. Anthony Ani, as he commenced distribution of agricultural materials in the zone. The flag-off was at Onicha Igboeze Community in Onicha, one of the five Local Government Areas that make up the district.
According to him, the gesture was meant to equip them properly towards the forthcoming farming season, particularly the women who are majorly peasant farmers.
He noted that the essence of combining the agricultural inputs with about 1,000 bags 50kg rice was to ameliorate the hunger in the land and enable the people feel the impact of the Easter celebration: “The essence of this is to flag-off the farming season by giving support to farmers in my locality and everyone knows fully that the labour is mainly for women.
“Therefore, I want to make them proactive rather than giving them the items after the period must have elapsed.
“Additionally, I have also brought new innovation by giving the people 1,000 charcoal stoves and pots mostly as the prices of kerosene and gas are increasing daily.
“With the new stoves that require little quantity of charcoal, the people will be free from washing black soot and they can cook with ease especially as fire woods are not common due to deforestation.”
He described the items comprising 1,000 bags of fertilizer, 1,000 charcoal stoves and pots, 150 school desks and bags of rice as a tip of iceberg, adding that he would still carry out an empowerment programme that would be felt heavily across the zone in the nearest future.
He charged the beneficiaries comprising both the executives and the members of All Progressives Congress (APC) to make judicious use of the items. He assured of executing other projects as soon the implementation of 2025 budget began.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Women Mobilization, Mrs. Rose Ajanwachuku-Okonkwo and Coordinator, Onicha West Development Centre, Chukwuemeka Uzor, respectively applauded the senator for making the zone proud. They urged him to remain focused in his legislative duties: “He has not spent two years at the red chamber but he has already done better than some persons who have spent more than four years and his empowerment is second to none as he reaches out to everyone.”
Daily Sun gathered that the beneficiaries were drawn from the APC executives from the local governments and the wards, Ebonyi South women, OHANIVO women and Affia Edda women.