From Olanrewaju Lawal,Birnin Kebbi
•(L – R) Fatimah Abbas, Gov Idris, Zainab Idris and other dignitaries during the launching of the programme in Birnin Kebbi.
For Hadiza Muh’D Kola, a rice and Millet farmer in Kebbi State, her dream and vision to double her farm output came to reality recently as the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, lunched her pet project of Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Agricultural Support Programme in the state.
•Beneficiaries from North-West zone during the launching
It was a moment of joy and celebration for Hadiza and other 19 beneficiaries from Kebbi State when their names entered the book of record of women farmers that would contribute their quota to the food security of Nigeria alongside others from the NorthWest zone.
About 140 women farmers from the Nort-West zone were penciled down by the Federal Government to benefit from the RHI Women Agricultural Support Programme which was held in Birnin Kebbi as part of efforts to boost food security.
With this gesture, the 20 beneficiaries of this programme in Kebbi State, women farmers like Satura Basiru Zauro, Balki Faruku, Bushira Muh’D Umar, Habiba Garba, Asmau Usman Giro and Zainab Muh’D Bande who are venturing into rice, millet, poultry, beans, groundnut, sweet potatoes, soya beans, maize and animal husbandry would transform from subsistence farmers to commercial farmers with additional N500,000 each going into their farm projects very soon.
Speaking with newsmen after the launching of the RHI, Hadiza Muh’D Kola, who has been into rice and millet farming for the past five years, explained that Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Support programme for women farmers would go a long way to improve food security in Nigeria.
She said: “I have been doing this rice and millet farming since the Federal Government started encouraging us in Kebbi State to produce more rice for the rice mills for more than five years. But the capital did not allow me to expand my farm land. Here, we are today, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and First Lady of Kebbi State, Hajiya Zainab Nasir Idris, recognized us and empowered us to do more. You know, we, women are the back bone of this country’s economy. This empowerment is timely because raining season for wet farming has just started. I will inject the money to expand my rice and millet production to show that women farmers can do better and feed the nation”.
To Hajia Aisha Malami, who is into rice and poultry farming, the gesture extended to her and others women farmers, which she noted was the first in the history of Kebbi State when huge amount was directly given to the beneficiaries, would go a long way to encourage more women to venture into farming.
She said: “Today in Nigeria, we have a president’s wife and governor’s wife who care for women at the grassroots. I was not expected to be among the beneficiaries because I don’t know anybody. But because of the farming I have beed doing for some years now, I was identified and recognized. So, this will enable me to boost my farming activities and increase the number of bags of paddy rice I produce every year.”
Others beneficiaries, who could not hide their joy during the disbursement of the money for women farmers, agreed that the direct handing over of the money to the beneficiaries means that the donors, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Kebbi State’s First Lady, really want women farmers to contribute their quota to the nation’s food security.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who was represented by the wife of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hajiya Fatimah Tajudeen Abbas, doled out N70 million to 140 women farmers from the Nort-West zone, including 20 beneficiaries from Kebbi State.
Tinubu explained that each of the benefitting women would get N500,000 to boost their agricultural production. She noted that 20 women from each of the seven states in the zone would benefit from the gesture.
She added that the disbursement was in fulfilment of the promise to continue to support women farmers throughout the nation. According to her, “the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been achieving substantial development in food sufficiency. This programme aligns with the broader agenda of the Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen agriculture.”
In her remark, Hajiya Zainab Nasir Idris, who hosted Oluremi Tinubu and wives of seven states from the North-West zone, also donated solar powered water pump to each of the beneficiaries.
She said: “Today is a very great day for the great women farmers of the North-West zone. The First Lady, under the Renewed Hope Initiative will support 140 women in agriculture with the sum of N500,000 each and 100 persons living with special needs are to be supported with N100,000 each.
“I wish to thank the First Lady for choosing Kebbi State to host this programme. We are humbled by this great honour. In appreciation of this great honour, I wish to emulate her and support each of the 140 beneficiaries with water pumping machines and each person living with special needs with assorted food items.
“I urge all the beneficiaries to use the money and pumping machines judiciously to boost their economic activities. I will put machinery in place to monitor all the beneficiaries to ensure proper use of the support. I urge my sisters to do the same in their various states.”
Also speaking, the Kebbi State governor, Dr Nasir Idris, who was elated, acknowledged the invaluable role women have been playing in agriculture. He stressed that, “women play crucial role in feeding Nigeria and the world at large.”
He noted that the gesture would help to sustain the tangible successes and prosperity of the women. He said the gesture was essential in facilitating the growth and sustainability of agriculture in the country.