Iwuanyanwu’s Last Meeting with Ohanaeze Agriculture Committee Revealed
Amby Uneze in Owerri
The Chairperson of the Agriculture Committee of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Mrs. Ngozi Olejeme, yesterday revealed how the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, met with members of the committee before his demise.
Briefing journalists in Owerri yesterday, Olejeme recalled their last meeting with Iwuanyanwu in May 2024 and stated that his demise left a wide vacuum for the development of Igboland.
She stated that it was at that meeting that the late president-general approved the full implementation of the committee’s strategy document, as well as the committee’s request to open an administrative office in Abuja.
Expressing her committee’s sadness over the death of the Igbo leader, Mrs. Olejeme noted that Ndigbo has lost a pathfinder, father, and key industrialist, who not only helped to develop other regions but also strengthened development in the Aladigbo region.
Olejeme in her committee’s strategic presentation captioned ‘Pathways to Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Alaigbo,’ believes their recommendation can transform the agricultural sector, ensure food security, provide social inclusion, create jobs, develop infrastructure, and above all secure the future of all communities across Alaigbo.
She stated that the spirit behind the development of the strategic document was to reposition Aladigbo for greatness despite the numerous challenges the region had faced in recent years. Such challenges, according to her, include insurrections, insurgency, banditry, population growth, and climate change.
These problems, she said, have exacerbated food insecurity, poverty, inequality, and unemployment across the region.
“To address these challenges, our committee has identified several key strategies: Agric financing services; adoption of innovations, greenhouse technologies to protect crops from adverse weather and enhance year-round production,
Product Aggregation Facilities system to ensure consistent and timely delivery of farm outputs.
“Others include, developing seedling support programs to improve crop productivity, improved tools and equipment by providing access to modern farming tools and machinery to increase productivity, soil improvement by utilizing science and technology to enhance soil conditions for various crops, agricultural education to guide farmers in adopting new technologies, storage and processing facilities to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance food security, market linkages, gender inclusion and youth empowerment: Promoting inclusive approaches to engage women and youths in agriculture, etc,” she stated.
According to Olejeme, the Agric Committee proposed the establishment of the Ohanaeze Agriculture Trust Fund (OATF) to help create a financing structure to support agribusiness projects, as well as fostering societal unity among the Aladigbo.
The Agriculture Chairman, who was accompanied by the Secretary, Dr. Emeka Okengwu, and two other members and staff from the secretariat to the courtesy visit, reiterated the total commitment of the committee to achieving Ohanaeze’s vision and mission of achieving food security in Alaigbo.
