The Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS), a programme of Abia State Government through the instrumentality of Abia State Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) has empowered more than 500 hundred Abia youths, and working assiduously to meet up the 1000 youth mandate before the end of April next.
The AADS Project has the mandate of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu led Government to train 1000 youth in Poultry farming in Abia State, selecting 50 persons each from the 17 Local Government Areas in the State.
The consultant of the project, Igwe Nonso Ogbunamiri, disclosed this in a chat with ABIA ONLINE in Umuahia.
According to him, the said number is made of both those directly employed in the farm as administrative and farm hand staff as well as those trained through and assisted to set up their own birds farms.
He said: “There are two sides to this, the first is the ones we are training on how to read their own birds and also empower them to set up their pens. The other one are the ones we have given job opportunities and paying their salaries, so those are the two sets we have here and that was the directive from the State Government and CBN we’re doing it perfectly well here.
“We had 225 at the first instance, now we’re taking in another 40, if you add it and with the existing staff that we have here which is about 45 but bear in mind that this is not the only place that we are doing this, we’re also using UPS Farms Nbawsi, there we have about 65 farm workers, both the administrative and the farmer hands and recently, we have acquired also another farm that we’re going to use to train more youths, so if you put these together, I can authoritatively tell you that within two weeks we should be talking about 500 youths that this programme has taken care of presently. And the mandate of that Governor is 1000 but I’m sure that very soon we’ll get there.”
Igwe Ogbunamiri further informed that money has also been released to start the building of another Poultry cluster in Obingwa Local Government Area, maintaining that once it is completed, another set of Abia youths will be employed.
The Consultant, who doubles as the CEO of UPS Farms Limited, lauded the effort of Governor Ikpeazu in agricultural development as well as his support and that of the CBN to the AADS Project, insisting that people who write negative things about Abia State should visit the Abia State Poultry Cluster, Umuosu Umunna Nsulu, Isialangwa North LGA to see things for themselves.
“The Government of Abia State has done so well in support and we’re so proud that we have not had any interference even from the Ministry of Agriculture, but he gives us a listening ear at any point in time we call on him. We have been getting so much support from him at any point in time I run to him,” he said.
“Let the people come here and find out for themselves, and see what is happening. When you look at in Nsulu now, we’re giving employment apart from the people your training; that’s a very big plus; 65 at Nbawsi and 85 here, that’s about 100 that would have been roaming around the streets. This number is not included in the one under the AADS people we’re going to train and support to set up their own business. The State Government should be given a credit for doing this.
We are also using this opportunity to thank the CBN, more of this programme, let Abia State be the first State to test run because we’re capable, we have all it takes to run the Agriculture programme in our State,” Ogbunamiri stated.
Igwe Ogbunamiri equally hinted that the beneficiaries of the project are now smiling to the banks because they have started receiving their profits after their birds had been sold. He revealed that the Governor had even mandated him to take up the case of one of the beneficiaries who took to the social media to thank the Governor after receiving his own money.
Said he: “They’re very very happy at least you can read it on their faces. There was one social media that forwarded what they said about the project, I didn’t even know them, these are people that felt so happy when they got their first money, so they went online jubilating and thanking the Governor and even the Governor himself didn’t know this particular person but when we were discussing and I was giving him a feedback, he said ‘can’t you see that this particular person thanked me, please Nonso, make sure that you will that you do everything within your power for him to stand,’ and that’s also another mandate, just because that one came out to, that’s to tell you that the enthusiasm is very very good.”
He urged the upcoming youths to take the Programme very seriously so as to enjoy the benefits therein.
In the meantime, beneficiaries of the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS), programme have continued to share their testimonies after receiving their respective profits from the sales of the birds reared by them.
Some of them who spoke with ABIA ONLINE, were full of praises for the State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, who they described as youth loving. They described the project as a great empowerment and job creation project for Abia youths and lauded the vision of the Governor for coming up with project of such magnitude that will reduce the plights of Abia youths, provide employment and lifetime job opportunity for them.
One of them, Ms Mercy Robert from Bende Local Government Area, while describing herself as being privileged to benefit, said she had nothing doing until she was introduced to the project by the Programme’s Desk Officer, Mr. Johnson Udensi.
According to her, “Before now, I had nothing doing but through this programme I was able to, after the training, finance will be given to us to start our own, so I was very happy and when I called my people, they were like they are waiting for me they have even found a pen for me, they like doc, come so we could benefit from you. I’m very very elated, very very grateful to our Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to the consultant, Igwe Nonso Ogbunamiri. I also want to thank Mr. Udensi, because it was through him that I got to know about the programme and since I came I have nothing to regret.”
Other beneficiaries include Mr. Owunna Paul, Ikwuano, Ejike Ejike Ikwuano, Ikemba Patrick, Obingwa LGA, Ukpai Great Ifeanyi, Ohafia LGA, as well as Okiyi Glory from Ikwuano.
“To be sincere, when the project started, we thought it was the usual Government thing. But to my greatest surprise, we were empowered with about 300 birds for the first cycle and along the line after of about 6 to 8 weeks, the birds were off taken and we received what was due to us. Right now, I am running the second cycle which will be off taken any moment from now, so it a great empowerment and job creation project for Abia youths,” Ukpai said.
They all confirmed receiving part of their own bargain as they complete each cycle with readily available off-takers and commended the effort of the Consultant, Igwe Nonso Ogbunamiri for being thoroughly grooming them in the business of Poultry farming.