NALDA, Ebonyi to Engage 3,000 Youths in Agriculture

James Emejo in Abuja

The Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Mr. Paul Ikonne, has said the authority is concluding plans towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ebonyi State government, to help provide job opportunities to over 3,000 youths in the state.

He also said the proposed partnership will enable farmers, mostly youths, to cultivate about 3,000 hectares of land located in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking during the inspection of large expanse of land owned by the state government, Ikonne, pointed out that the authority will also engage in the clearing and preparation of the land as well as embark on the training of the beneficiaries under the federal government’s National Young Farmers Scheme(NYFS).

He further assured on the provision of infrastructure, farm mechanisation, farm inputs and other logistics to the farmers as part of measures to create jobs, generate wealth and ensure food security in the state and the country at large.
The NALDA boss was also conducted round the abandoned Akanleke Hatchery Farm in Abakaliki, which was built during the administration of former governor, Dr. Sam Egwu.

Ikonne, who had earlier paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Ebonyi State, Mr. David Umahi in his country home in Uburu, however, assured that the abandoned hatchery would be reactivated by NALDA to boost commercial poultry production.
He said the authority would establish an Integrated Farm Estate in another 104 hectares of land provided by the state government adding that this would be completed by October.

The NALDA boss, further praised Umahi for providing enabling environment and infrastructure for the take-off of the project, pointing out that the authority would work assiduously to turn around the fortunes of agricultural activities in the state

He said: “We are in Ebonyi State to partner with the government. We have seen that the governor has keyed in to President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda of achieving food security in the country.

“And with what the governor has put in place infrastructure, it has made our job easier.
He added that farmers will be able to convey their produce to the markets as a result of good road networks in the state.
Ikonne said:”We are establishing an integrated farm estate in Ebonyi, like we are doing in other states. This is the mandate of Mr. President, that we should reactivate abandoned farm estates and develop new ones for food security.”

He also told the governor that the activities of the authority would be run purely as business to deliver results in no distant time and requested that the MoU be fastracked to enable the commencement of the programme in the state.

Responding, however, Umahi thanked the NALDA ES and his team for the visit as well as the intervention programmes, adding that in the history of the country, no past presidents had been able to empower the citizenry like Buhari’s administration.
The governor, further underscored the need for those in leadership positions as well as their followers to imbibe the virtue of hard work to surmount the plethora of challenges confronting the country.

He specifically requested that NALDA should consider the production of fingerlings and poultry in its proposed farm estate, adding that 90 per cent of the state’s poultry needs are imported from Abia and Cross River States.
Umahi, therefore, pledged his irrevocable commitment to the actualisation of the proposed projects in the state – and seized the opportunity to showcase to the visitors, some of the ongoing and completed projects in the state.

FirstBank Wins Global Banking Awards
First Bank of Nigeria Limited yesterday announced that it has been announced winner of three awards by Global Banking and Finance magazine.

The awards are the 2021 ‘Retail Banking CEO of the Year Nigeria,’ ‘Most innovative Retail Banking App Nigeria,’ and ‘Best CSR Bank Nigeria.’
A statement explained that the respective awards conferred on the bank were in recognition of the indelible roles it plays in deepening financial inclusion in the country; advancing the digital banking eco-system as well as impacting individuals in its host communities with technology to make learning available to individuals of all ages, amongst many others.

The Global Banking and Finance Awards reflect the innovation, achievement, strategy, progressive and inspirational changes taking place within the Global Financial community. The awards were created to recognise companies of all sizes which are prominent areas of expertise and excellence within the financial world.

“With its over 750 branches and 100,000 Firstmonie Agent banking network spread across the nook and cranny of the country, FirstBank’s robust retail banking framework has been at the forefront of bridging the financial exclusion gap, thereby empowering Nigerians to carry out their financial and business-driven activities in contributing to national growth and development.

“Also, in order to put customers ahead in enjoying state of the art digital banking services, the bank’s industry-leading banking application, FirstMobile, is configured with modern banking functionalities which are regularly upgraded and designed with self-service features to ease the navigation capability and proficiency of customers to carry out their respective transactions with no hassles,” the statement added.

It noted that woven into the fabric of society for over 127 years, overcoming challenges and remaining a dominant player in Nigeria’s financial services landscape, FirstBank has been partnering and supporting various sustainable activities towards the continued growth of its host communities and the nation at large.

Commenting on the awards, the CEO of FirstBank, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan said: “We are proud to be recognized with these awards, which speak to the investments we have made over the past years in bolstering our electronic platforms for our customers; enhancing financial inclusion through agent banking as well as empowering our communities in the education space especially by bridging the digital divide through e-learning initiative.”