Says NALDA’ll build capacity of 300 beneficiaries on livestock business 

Youths remain centre-piece of Buhari’s administration-Ikonne

As lawmaker commends NALDA for initiative

By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja

Following resolve to transform lives of Nigerian youths amidst various challenges, the Buhari-led administration via the National Agricultural Lands Development Authority, NALDA, Tuesday, gave hope to rehabilitated drug addicts, women and youths with livestock as support and empowerment at Central Abattoir, Kofarmazugal, Kano.

The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, handed over the livestock including cows and goats to the beneficiaries in collaboration with the National Drug Law Agency, NDLEA, and Salamah Youth Empowerment and Enlightenment Initiative, SYEEI.

Ikonne said 100 women got 3 goats each, while 200 youths got one cow for 2 persons, which the total beneficiaries were 300.

READ ALSO: Agribusiness: 400 women, youth set to benefit from NALDA’s farm in Abia

It was also made known that the beneficiaries would soon be trained on animal husbandry and financial management to build their capacity in order to run the business.

Meanwhile, the NALDA boss disclosed that the first phase of the empowerment programme in Kano State will increase the number of beneficiaries to 500.

He further explained that NALDA’s empowerment programme, which the integrated farm estate projects serve as major panacea in reducing poverty and youth unemployment embarked upon by the Authority, and also forms a central part of Federal Government’s empowerment programmes.

He said: “An organisation that has been rehabilitating children from drug is organizing them for empowerment, if they are left without empowerment, they would go back to drug taking.

“And it is President Muhammadu Buhari’s interest to ensure that we reduce drug addiction and create employment in the country. So, this is a way of keeping them out of drug and engaging them meaningfully.

“We have empowered the first 300, and the remaining 200 will be done soon in the first phase in Kano by March. This will be done in different states, and we want to encourage other organisations to reach out to these drug addicts in order to rehabilitate them and NALDA will engage them in meaningful means of income through agricultural value chains.”

However, he said the beneficiaries would not be left alone with their livestock, and since they are registered it will be easier to monitor and assist them where necessary in order for them to be successful in their business.

“The organisation becomes our watch dogs, and the NDLEA that have rehabilitated the beneficiaries are also part of the process, that makes the monitoring easier, because there are organisations on ground working with us.

“In the next three months, they would have sold the cows and the money put in the poll, and another set of cows will be given to them, so the profit goes to them and the capital is re-invested. That is why doing it in a cluster with an organisation is the best.

“Now this is done in an abattoir, and inside the abattoir, they have an association, then supervised by these organisations, so it makes it easier for us to monitor. As they keep evolving the fund, it makes it easier for us to empower more people. And encourage more people not to go into drug.

“But for women given goats, will rear it for six months to one year depending on the size o f the goat but our key interest is on those that have been rehabilitated, that is the youths from the abattoir, they are the ones we are looking at three months”, he stated.

Also speaking was the initiator of Salamah Youth Empowerment and Enlightenment Initiative, Senator Naja’tu Bala Muhammed, representing Kano Central Senatorial District, commended NALDA and described the intervention as the best any government parastatal has done in Kano.

“I have spoken a lot against this government of President Buhari but I realise that there is the need for me to also start the change I crave for. Then I initiated this programme with the NDLEA to rehabilitate our youth who were drug addicts, but we realized that if we must give them hope, we must show them that there is light at the end of the tunnel by meaningfully engaging them.

“They underwent training after which I empower them with the little fund we have, but thank God that the President has finally seen into this by introducing us to NALDA. I must say that NALDA as far as people of Kano are concern is the best parastatal in the country, we have never seen a parastatals in Nigeria with such direct impact on the masses.

“The beneficiaries will be trained by a Professor and they would be monitored for the next three months as they give them training on husbandry and finances”, she said.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA Commandant in Kano State, Isah Mahammed, lauded the move, concept and implementation of the empowerment programme designed by NALDA for rehabilitated drug addicts.

Mohammed added that the initiative will go a long way to address idleness among youths that has triggered a lot of vices traceable to drug abuse.

“Anybody that does not have a source of income will certainly look for something that would make him forget his lack of vocation and most times, they turn to drugs.

“This initiative by NALDA with the support of the President and the Salamah Foundation that has seen youths being given means of livelihood, theire focus will now be on the means of survival given to them.

“With this, they would now face their business while turning away from drugs, that is why NDLEA is happy to associate with the Authority  to ensure that drug abuse is alleviated from among the youth.

“It is our hope that NALDA continue to assist, because the intention is to empower 500 and since it is like a loan, they would be pressure to succeed, then others can be encouraged to benefit,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Alima Adamu, who spoke in Hausa appreciated NALDA and the Foundation for the initiative, saying with the livestock received from the agency, as he will experience a new beginning of his life and other beneficiaries, which their financial lives will be transformed for the better.

Vanguard News Nigeria