Commissioner Lauds Women Farmers Over Visit

The Rivers State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Hon Prince Charles Beke, has described the visit of the Nigeria Women for Agricultural Progressive Development Initiative (NWADPI), Rivers State Chapter, as a renewed hope.
Prince Beke made the declaration when the State Coordinator of the Association, Farmer Ngozi Ajayi, and her executive members visited him in his office in Port Harcourt.
The Commissioner expressed satisfaction over the ideas of NWADPI, which, he said, is a clarion call to all Nigerian women to return to farm despite the harsh economic situation in the country, especially Rivers State.
According to him, their ideology “is in consonance with the blueprint of the administrative mantra of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, in the state to revamp the agriculture sector in order to cushion food scarcity in the state.
The Association, he noted, is in the right track of returning agriculture as the major occupation of Nigeria, noting that the women in Nigeria are the real farmers when it comes to agriculture.
He urged the leadership of NWADPI to seek audience with the state Commissioner for Agriculture to help them fast track some of their objectives, adding that as God has given him the opportunity to oversee the affairs of the 23 Local Government in the state, he promised to assist them have a Link with Total, NDDC and other sectors that are into Agriculture to enable them advance their goal of ensuring that there is food on the table of every household in the state.
The Commissioner adviced the association on their request for acquisition of land, to liaise with the Community Development Committee in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state through the local Government council to help them lease or acquire land for the association to farm, and also encouraged them to register with Nigeria Chamber of Commerce and Fadama to accelerate their quest.
Speaking, the State Coordinator, NWADPI, Rivers State Chapter, Farmer Ngozi Ajayi, thanked the Commissioner for the audience granted them despite his tight schedule.
She commended him for his zeal to partner and assist the association to champion its course.
Noting that the organization is six months old in Nigeria and have its Coordinators in the 774 Local Government Areas in the country, she stated that “all farmers group in Nigeria have not given the women a sense of belonging”, saying that the organization will help bridge the gap between the level of women farmers.
The State Coordinator further informed the Commissioner that the organization will be having its inauguration on 25th July, 2024 and appealed to the Hon. Commissioner be their guest, saying his presence “will rekindle hope for the organization and encourage the national body that Rivers State is ready to strive”.
The highlight of the meeting was the presentation of invitation letter to the Commissioner.