Fubara’s Wife Gifts Women Farmers N10m to Boost Agric Yields

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

In a bid to boost agricultural yields, the Wife of Rivers State Governor, Mrs. Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, yesterday, presented cheques of N10 million to 20 female farmers in the state.

The 20 women were the first batch of beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Agricultural Support Programme.

The wife of the governor explained that the exercise was to flag-off another critical phase of the RHI in the state, which is a pet project of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. 

She said: “I bring you the felicitations of the founder of this initiative, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who is working assiduously to bring smiles to the faces of families in our dear nation”.

Mrs. Fubara recalled that recently, the Renewed Hope Initiative, through its Rivers State Office, had flagged-off its support for the elderly; presented exercise books to school children, through the Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB); and some measures of support to ease the burden of families. 

She said: “A son of the state has also benefited from the Belarus RHI International Scholarship. This gesture, no matter how little, has been greatly appreciated by the recipients, and I cannot thank Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, enough for her foresight and commitment to this vision.”

The governor’s wife noted that aside the cheques presented to the first batch of 20 beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Initiative Women in Agriculture Support Programme, 80 more beneficiaries woulf be accommodated in subsequent phases of the programme as directed by the board.  

She reminded the beneficiaries that the money given to them may not represent all they needed to boost their investments in the sector but added that it represented the efforts of a genuinely caring mother who did not want to sit back and allow her children suffer.

She said: “It is a seed investment in your agricultural businesses that is backed by the prayers of the founder for you to succeed. So, I urge you to make the best use of it.”

Mrs. Fubara urged the beneficiaries to ensure that the investments lead to increased and improved harvests from their farms in the next few months. 

“I urge you to be frugal in the use of this seed money, and see it as a call from the Wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to assist in building a strong support base for the agricultural revolution in Nigeria.”

She noted that the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara has commenced the review of agricultural policies to mitigate the challenges experienced in the sector. 

The wife of the governor emphasised that the state government is also committed to reviving state-owned agricultural intervention schemes such as the Songhai Integrated Farms, with encouragement to private investors to participate in the ongoing transformation in the sector.

In her goodwill speech, Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu, said that Rivers’ women are blessed to have Mrs. Fubara, who has continued to champion causes that are geared towards improving the living condition and economic status of women in the State on an all-inclusive basis.

Odu noted that if the beneficiaries would commit the money into their agro- businesses, they would eventually impact the state positively while their personal lives, families and communities will greatly benefit also.

Also speaking, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of the Rivers State University, retired Justice Mary Odili (JSC), commended the wife of the governor for linking up and working cordially with President Tinubu’s wife, who she said has vast experience, to attract diverse benefits to women and youths in the state.

Odili also advised the beneficiaries to ensure that they deployed the grant given to them in agricultural ventures in order to improve their stakes, while also ensuring that when evaluations are made, Rivers State would not be scored as having misused the privileged support that it got for women farmers.