500 farmers get incentives for food security #nigeria

Five hundred farmers from across 13 local governments in
Oyo North senatorial district of Oke-Ogun and parts of
Ogbomosoland in Oyo state have been given incentives by
the Deputy-Senate Whip, Senator Hosea Agboola, as part of
efforts geared towards ensuring food sufficiency in the
state.
Oke-ogun is the food basket of the state and largely
agrarian community where most of the staple food items
being consumed daily by over five million people of the
state are sourced from.
Presenting the farming tools to the farmers at a ceremony in
Igbojaye, Itesiwaju local government area of the state,
Agboola noted that "farmers and indeed agriculture deserve
a pride of place in our society". He said farmers should be
provided with necessary incentives to encourage them to
work harder for the wellbeing of the citizenry. The farming
tools were estimated to have costs substantial amount of
the N200million expended on year 2014 empowerment
materials for people in the area.
Agboola described Oke-Ogun farmers as industrious and
highly skilled people. He said: "These farmers deserve the
best of support that anyone in position of authority can think
of, hence the reason for the setting aside of substantial
amount in this year's N200million empowerment fund for
the selected 10,000 people in entire Oyo North senatorial
district."
The senator also pledged his commitment to education and
the fulfillment of his electoral promises as he expended
N15million as bursary awards on over 1,000 indigent
students in the entire Oyo Senatorial district.
The students, who received N10,000 each, were
admonished to shun acts of violence or anti-social
behaviour capable of destroying their future.
Agboola noted the only way to give back to the society was
to give the youths the basic educational assistance in order
to make them relevant in the society, adding that the
presentation of tools to the over 3,000 artisans was also in
line with his avowed commitment to reduce poverty level in
the area to the barest minimum.
He said: "This is the only way I can give back to my
constituents. I cannot give you fish all the time but I must
be able to teach you how to catch the fish for your own
good. "Education is the only means of being a respectful
citizen in the society. It will help you excel in this
contemporary world and with your little efforts, sky is just
the beginning."
He then congratulated the recipients of the empowerment
materials, and urged them to make good use of the money
and tools presented to them.
Similarly, the lawmaker also commissioned a block of three
classrooms and an ICT centre in each of the 131local
governments in the area.
The schools include are the Apostolic Church Basic School
III, Olopemarunin Ogbomosho South., Ori-Oke Community
Senior High School, Ogbomoso North, UMCA Grammar
School, Olorunsogo, Nybrosis Primary School, Oke-Suna
Tege, Kisi in Orelope Local Government, Gboro Community
Secondary School, Saki in Saki West Local Government and
IDGS Secondary School in Iseyin Local Government.