By Precious Godswill
With over 200 youths undergoing very intensive training and equipped with different farming inputs and starters packs, Delta Central is already blazing the trail in food production, sufficiency, security and even agribusiness.
The office of the Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Distinguished Senator Ede Dafinone in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, commenced a two-day intensive training programme tagged Dafinone Agriculture And Food Security Training & Empowerment Programme, in food crop production and fishery, for youth selected from the eight Local Government Areas of Delta Central Senatorial District.
The two-day programme which commenced on the 6th of March, 2025 at the PTI Conference Centre, Effurun, Delta State, involved training in various crop production including vegetables, maize, tomatoes, pepper and groundnuts. The training also involves the use and production of pesticides, to protect their crops from destruction by harmful insects and pest.
Participants who were carefully selected from the eight Local Government Areas, were also engaged on the second day (7/03/2025) in intensive training by experienced trainers from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, who exposed the potential farmers in fishery especially on fish ponds management as an agribusiness.
Some of the beneficiaries about to collect their starters packs
At the end of the two-day intensive training programme, beneficiaries were given starter packs to with little cash for logistics and they were expected to start their farming businesses, not only to earn a living for themselves and their families, but also to train others in their communities.
Starter packs given to the beneficiaries include improved and high-yielding seedlings including fish-fingerlings to commence their farms and fish ponds.
Addressing the beneficiaries shortly before they were handed their starters packs, Senator Dafinone who described himself as a facilitator, noted that the programme was one of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, designed to address the issue of food insecurity and increase in the prices of staple food across the country.
“The programme came about because a lot of young men and women who finished from the Universities apply for jobs, one year, two years, five years and ten years, but they cannot find jobs . But if you are able to develop an acre of land behind your house, and you are given seedlings and you plant and every month, you return N200k or even N100k, to feed yourself and your family, and after six months you plant another acre, then you have started your own business. You don’t need to be employed.
“When you see employment opportunities reducing in Nigeria, it is the same thing all over the world. And so the answer to that problem is for people to own their own businesses, to develop your own skills so that you can feed your family, build your houses and can even buy cars. I see it as a low hanging fruit.
“So, this is an opportunity. An opportunity that the federal government has graciously provided. I’m only just a facilitator in the process making sure it comes to my people”, he said.
Also fielding questions from news men, the Head of Project Monitoring team in the office of Senator Ede Dafinone, Chief Mrs. Ejemudaro Sanubi, gave detail of the training and empowerment programme, adding that the purpose was to start a business through agriculture.
She further noted that the programme was not limited to training for sustenance but also on how to grow businesses and improve on their financial capabilities.
“We are here today to continue the training we started yesterday on the Senator Dafinone Agriculture Food Security And Safety programme. We had trainers from the Ministry of Agriculture who came to train selected beneficiaries from the eight Local Government Areas.
“Over 200 participants were trained on how how to grow maize, tomatoes, pepper and groundnuts. They were also trained on how to use pesticides and how to produce pesticides to protect their crops.
“We are starting training today on how to manage fish ponds and start a business in agriculture using fish ponds.
“Part of the training is on how to grow businesses, not just using farming as a means of sustenance but how to grow businesses to improve on their financial abilities and capabilities”, she noted.
Mrs. Sanubi thanked the initiative of Senator Ede Dafinone for bringing the project his people, which said was an extension of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu agenda for food security.
A cross section of the beneficiaries who spoke to the press after the programme, were full of commendations to Senator Ede Dafinone for the kind gestures.
They were handed started packs and a stipend for transportation back home.
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