The Federal Government announced on Saturday the opening of 120 housing units and an empowerment facility for farmers in Borno State.
It announced the decision through the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, citing efforts to eliminate poverty and increase food production in Nigeria.
It stated that the facilities, located in Dustman Village, Zawiya, Borno State, include a clinic, a school for farmers’ children, a prayer centre, solar-powered boreholes, and access roads.
The authorities announced in a statement released in Abuja.
According to the report, the recipients came from the state’s Internally Displaced Persons camp.
NALDA, a Federal Government organisation, is responsible for creating integrated farm estates across the country, converting idle land into productive land, increasing agricultural productivity, and empowering youth and women.
It performs land surveys and assigns land for agricultural uses, among other things, to ensure equal distribution and promote responsible land usage.
Paul Ikonne, Executive Secretary of NALDA, who launched the housing units with Borno State Governor Prof. Babagana Zulum in Maiduguri, the state capital, revealed that the project, which he signed on Saturday, aimed to inspire young Nigerians to pursue careers in agriculture.
He said:
“Today, we commissioned 120 housing units built for farmers in Borno. The aim is to give farmers a good accommodation. The other centre is the agriculture empowerment centre where youths and women would be trained within three to four months.
“Thereafter, they will be given startup packs to enable them to do agric business on their own. All these are geared towards reducing unemployment and achieving food security. The empowerment centres are a new project of NALDA.
“Currently, we have partnerships with some individual farmers that have provided their farmlands and space for us to activate the empowerment centres.
“Like in Osun State, we have a farmer whose farm is in good shape and up and running. All NALDA needs to do is to upgrade it to the level of being an empowerment centre.
“We also have a farm in Nasarawa State. A private farmer also made available his farmland. That is also 80 to 90 per cent ready for commissioning.”
cc: Punch Ng
