300 Rivers farmers receive N150m grant under renewed hope initiative

The Director General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, Chukwuemeka Woke, has disbursed a grant of N150 million to over 300 farmers across the 14 wards of Emohua Local Government Area in Rivers State.

Woke said the gesture under the Renewed Hope Back to Farm Support Initiative will enhance food security and empower small-scale farmers.

The beneficiaries, comprising 200 women and various political party supporters, aides to the former Chairman and social media aides, smiled home with N50,000 each.

The NOSDRA DG said the initiative is to assist small-scale farmers in the area by providing financial support to rent portions of land, purchase staple crops, and cover the costs of clearing and weeding their farmlands.

While speaking at the distribution event in the Isiodo community on Sunday, Woke explained that it will pave the way for a bountiful harvest by the end of the year.

Woke emphasised that the initiative is in tandem with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu and the Back to Farm initiative of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

He stated, “The goal is to empower these farmers so that by December, they can harvest their produce, especially cassava, and produce garri, which they can sell and make hundreds of thousands of naira.”

Woke noted that the Emohua people are known to be persistent farmers, and at the beginning of the year, they make preparations to return to their farms.

He, however, said that for some, it is a financial burden to get parcels of land to farm on, which he said can cost N10,000 or more in addition to paying for clearing and weeding their farmlands at least twice before harvest time.

The NOSDRA DG added, “The true essence of empowerment is empowering people for a cause, for survival, for sustainability, and that is what the Renewed Hope Initiative stands for.

“The initiative is expected to have a positive impact on the lives of the beneficiaries and contribute to the overall food security of the state.”

Also speaking at the presentation, the State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Benibo George, who represented the State Chairman, Chukwuemeka Aaron, lauded the initiative, saying it is a true definition of human development.

George encouraged the beneficiaries to use the grant judiciously and appealed to Woke to sustain the tempo.

He noted that farming is the backbone of the local economy, saying the initiative would go a long way in boosting food production in the state.

Also speaking, the State APC Chairman, Tony Okocha, thanked the coordinator of the initiative on behalf of the Renewed Hope Family.

Okocha thanked the leader of the Renowned Hope Family in the state and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for the enabling support.

He charged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the grant, emphasising the importance of agriculture in the state.

“There’s a lot in agriculture. So, mothers, make the grants useful,” he added.

He said the Renewed Hope Initiative is part of the federal government’s efforts to boost agriculture and empower small-scale farmers across the country.

Answering questions from newsmen, one of the beneficiaries, Uchechukwu Otuonu, said, “I feel so happy among the beneficiaries of this gesture because it is rare. I pray that God replenish the pocket where this comes from. I want to assure the organisers that this will be judiciously put to good use.”