…Supports 120 South West women farmers with N60m

From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

The wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Tuesday, presented  cheques of N10m to each of the six South-West States of Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti for onward disbursement to 120 women farmers selected across the states.

This, she said, is targeted at empowering women and farmers and enhance food security.

The First Lady, while presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries at the launch of Renewed Hope Initiative Women Agricultural Support Programme for the South-West as well as the flag off of 2024 planting season for Ogun State held at June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, said

that the Federal Government will continue to empower women to contribute to sustainable development while also helping to achieve food security.

  She announced a cash grant of N100,000 each for 100 people living with disability in Ogun State which they are to plough into their various existing businesses to make lives more comfortable for them.

   “The administration of President Bola Tinubu recognizes the pivotal role agriculture plays in  achieving sustainable development and ensuring food sufficiency. Therefore the Renewed Hope Initiative commitment to supporting women farmers nationwide aligns with the broader agenda to strengthen agricultural sector”

“Today, we are supporting 20 women per States in the South-West with the sum of N500, 000 each. To this end, a draft cheque of N10m per State will be handed over to the first ladies who are the Coordinators of this programme in each of the South-West states for disbursement to the beneficiaries”.

The beneficiaries of this inntervention are said to be women in the agrarian sector, poultry as well as animal husbandry.

She urged the women farmers beneficiaries to seize the opportunity of the support received to expand their farming entrepreneurship, improve on their contribution to national and local food production and serve as role models to aspiring women in the country.

Mrs Tinubu called on all stakeholders including government officials, community leaders and Non-governmental organisations to support local farmers and every efforts that could help to increase food production in the country.

Earlier, the governor of the state, Dapo Abiodun lauded the wife of the president for the initiative, describing the kind gesture as quite exemplary and testimony to the visionary leadership of the First Lady.

Abiodun disclosed that the Women Agricultural Support Programme was no doubt a well thought out initiative which would no doubt further encourage women who are into agricultural practices and boost the food production across the country.

He explained that investment in women was quite important as any nation that invested in women was only investing in its future because women are mothers of nations.

He revealed that his administration has equally prioritised empowerment of women as over 50,000 of them have benefited from over N1.5bn Okowo Dapo, a financial assistance scheme initiated by his government to support the women among others.

In her address, wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun thanked the President’s wife for working hard to make life much better for the women and the less privileged in the country through the Renewed Hope Initiative.

Mrs Abiodun maintained that the kind gesture such as the Women Agricultural Support Programme would no doubt impact on the prosperity of the women farmers but also helped in boosting food production in the country.

She equally lauded the First Lady for championing the cause of people living with disability like never before calling on other members of the public to give support to these set of people to make life much better for them.

Dignitaries at the event include the wives of all the governors from the South-West as well as wife of the Senate President, Mrs Ekaete Apabio

Highlights of the programme include presentation of farming inputs such as bags of fertiliser, cassava stems, herbicides, bags of maize among others to over 2,000 farmers in preparation for the 2024 planting season in Ogun State.