Institute Trains Ebonyi Youths On Agric

In conformity with the programmes of Ebonyi State government to guarantee employment, a multi-million naira agricultural institute in the area has engaged about 200 workers with about 80 per cent of them youths.

Management of a new farm institute, Chiboy Farm Institute, located in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, explained that they would through the venture reduce the problem of unemployment and scarcity of proteinous foods in the state by 60 per cent in the year 2011.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Chinedu Ogah, who conducted newsmen round the N80 million farm, disclosed that the firm was also training about 100 indigenes in various agricultural sections both in crops and animal science.

The tour of the farm was part of the Ogah family’s celebration of his birthday that took them through sharing of gifts to inmates of Abakaliki prisons and the motherless babies home in the area.

It has different departments such as 10 fish ponds stocked with different species of fish, fingerlings, snail farming, and grass cutter farming with over 4,000 grass cutters among others.

The institute also has a well-equipped lecture hall an some other agricultural equipments and inputs for the treatment of the animals in the farm.

According to Ogah, the aim of investing in agriculture in the state was to compliment the state government’s endeavour in reducing youth unemployment which in turn would bring about decrease in crime rate in the society.

He promised to be of assistance to those being trained in various sections of the institution either establish on their own or get employed elsewhere, pointing out that the state government has made it easy as a way to encourage youths develop and establish small-scale business by introducing micro loans through the use of micro finance banks in the state.

Ogah noted that the problem of the state, Ebonyi, revolves on the lack of manpower, based on that, he said his organisation decided to, despite all the laid down programmes in the institute, establish a foundation with the major aim of assisting the less-privileged mostly in the rural areas into going to school.

“Ebonyi State, if we want it developed like other states, will not be left in the hand of the state government alone,” he said.

Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State (centre) with the management team of Voice of Nigeria (VON) led by the Director-General, Alhaji Abubakar Jijiwa, during a courtesy visit at the Government House, Enugu.