Osun Gov’s wife empowers 500 women farmers with cassava stem, others
…as Oyetola reiterates commitment to agriculture
TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The wife of the Osun State Governor, Alhaja Kafayat Oyetola has empowered 500 women farmers with various agricultural commodities including cassava stem, vegetable seeds, day-old chicks and other cash crops.
This happened as the Governor of the State, Adegboyega Oyetola, said that his Administration was committed to making agriculture the bedrock and mainstay of the State’s socioeconomic development.
He said that the race to delivering food sufficiency and making Osun the food basket of the region was very much on course.
Governor Oyetola made the statements on Tuesday while addressing the people, at the presentation of various agricultural commodities to Women in Rural Communities by the Ilerioluwa Development Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation.
The NGO which is owned and funded by the Wife of the Governor, who doubles as the President of the organisation, was founded to provide welfare, economic and empowerment services to the people and to complement government’s social investment programme aimed at banishing poverty, hunger and misery in the State.
Governor Oyetola noted that the Administration had developed a modality to change the narrative, bring desired change and encourage people’s participation in agriculture.
The initiative, according to the Governor, was to encourage the farmers to get involved in the transformation of the fortune of the State through a realistic economic diversification process.
He said the State has set up a committee to coordinate, cultivate and rally the crop and livestock farmers across the State to ensure peace and deliver an enabling environment for farming and peaceful coexistence.
He commended his wife, the initiator of the programme, for complementing government’s efforts at repositioning agriculture in particular and making life more meaningful and worthwhile for the people in general.
“Today’s initiative, presentation of vegetable seeds, cassava stem, day-old chicks and other cash crops to Women in Rural Communities at her Women in Agriculture Empowerment, by the Ilerioluwa Development Initiative is unique in many respects:
The Governor urged the beneficiaries of the initiative to make good use of the crops so as not only to ensure that the aim of the initiative is realised, but also to create an opportunity for other women to benefit from the programme.
In her remarks, Mrs Oyetola, said the initiative was designed to serve as a catalyst to revive the lost glory of the agriculture sector.
She said the organisation has been executing masses-oriented programmes designed to lift people, particularly the women from the scourge of abject poverty.
Mrs. Kafayat who described agriculture as the central nerve of existence through which livelihood is guaranteed, said the Organisation would not rest on its oars to ensure that the State actualises its lofty dreams on the agriculture sector.
She therefore urged the beneficiaries to take optimum advantage of the initiative for their individual and collective benefits.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Adedayo Adewole, commended the leadership of Ilerioluwa Development Initiative for their prompt intervention to turn around the fortune of agriculture and make life prosperous for farmers.
Adewole disclosed that over 1, 000 old chicks, 1, 000 cashew seedlings, 1, 000 cocoa seedlings and over 200 bundles of cassava had been set aside to be distributed to women farmers.
