Senator Tinubu also disclosed that the Renewed Hope
Initiative would be collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to
empower farmers, saying that 75% of the beneficiaries who will be young female
farmers and 25% young male farmers would be specially identified, trained and
empowered under the program.
The first lady, while adding that the pre-identified 80
women farmers in each state for agricultural support program would be carried
along, urged women farmers to seize the opportunity to expand their
agricultural ventures and contribute to local and national food production.
“In a short while, the Renewed Hope Initiative will be
collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to empower potential
farmers. In this phase, 75% of the beneficiaries will be young female farmers
while 25% will be for young male farmers. They will all be specially
identified, trained and empowered.
“I want to implore our women farmers receiving support today
to seize this opportunity to expand their agricultural ventures, contribute to
local and national food production and serve as role models for others aspiring
to join the agricultural sector,” she added.
Earlier in his remarks, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo
Abiodun disclosed that his administration through the Oko’owo Dapo scheme has
assisted over 50,000 women to grow their businesses with additional funding
from the Federal Government’s Nigeria for Women Project.
Abiodun, who added that the total investment of the scheme
now stands at about N1.5billion, said the Ogun Broiler Empowerment Scheme
through which day old chicks were given to women and broilers taken from them
every 90 days, have also empowered over 500 women agric entrepreneurs.
Governor Abiodun while noting that his administration has
also launched Ibi-Dero, an initiative specifically targeted at pregnant
indigent women for pre-natal delivery, post-natal and neo-natal care free of
charge, maintained that his administration has succeeded in reducing Maternal
and Child Mortality Rate in the state.
The State helmsman noted that his administration has
prioritized the welfare and empowerment of women as a result of their
population, adding that his government has also implemented programmes aimed at
boost the status of women by including them in politics, governance and
economic activities as well as providing education for girls.
Abiodun added that the Renewed Hope Initiative Women
Agricultural Support Programme, holds a special resonance as it mirrors the
resilience and tenacity of women in the state and the South West, saying that
the spirit of women is integral to driving agricultural innovation and economic
growth.
Governor Abiodun, while noting that Renewed Hope Initiative
program symbolizes the determination of his administration to uplift women
farmers, fortifying the agricultural framework and aligning with the
sustainable development goals to ensure food security and sufficiency, added
that investing in women extends beyond moral obligations.
In her welcome address, the first lady and the state
coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) in Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele
Abiodun, noted that the Initiative is to celebrate and empower women in
agriculture, commending the first lady for sponsoring students with interest in
agriculture to Belarus for more studies.
She noted that supporting women in agriculture in the state
would help to improve the agriculture value chain, adding that the
discrimination against people with disabilities would soon become a thing of
the past with the determination of Senator Oluremi Tinubu to make the required
difference.
In her remarks, the South West Zonal Coordinator for the
Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) and wife of the Governor of Oyo State,
Mrs.Tamunominini Olufunke Makinde noted that the support program would assist
women in agriculture thereby improving the agriculture sector of the states,
urging the beneficiaries to use the support judiciously.
