Amnesty signs MOU to train 3,105 in agric and employ 12,400 in farms

 

The Presidential Amnesty Programme has  in Abuja signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Songhai Rivers Development Initiative (SRDI) to train 3,105 Amnesty Beneficiaries in modern agriculture and engage 12,400 in farms.

The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (Rtd) who  signed on behalf of the Federal Government said   105 of the  beneficiaries will have one hectare of farmland each to be operated   on individual basis while the balance 3,000 will have farm clusters  to be operated  as co-operatives. He said the all-round training and empowerment of each beneficiary is designed to enable them employ four persons each in the integrated farms with a capacity to employ 12,400 workers.

 

General Boroh said at the end of the training, successful participants will be certified jointly by Songhai Rivers and University of Port Harcourt, and that  it would be based on 75 percent practical work. The training he said,  will include aquaculture, agriculture, crop production, Agro-Food processing covering  feed formulation, and entrepreneurship including  Farm Business Management to complete the Agriculture Value Chain.

General Boroh who is also the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme  said the MOU  provides for the “trainining, establishment of cluster farms, empowerment  services and establishment of a market chain”. The project he said,  focuses more on the acquisition and ownership of knowledge of the Songhai model, which is an integrated system that takes into account the interrelationship between  environmental resources, agriculture and  technology. Also integrated he said are  “services and industry incorporating human capacity resource development as an integrated package of technical, managerial value-based leadership and entrepreneurial skill development.”

The Amnesty Coordinator said “All we  are doing is to sustain  the reintegration process of the Presidential Amnesty Programme,  stabilizing the Niger Delta  and using agriculture as  a mechanism  to resolve crisis in the Niger Delta.” He advised the  Songhai Initiative to “Introduce  the military-type philosophy of brotherhood in the project; if we can  live as a family, we can achieve more at a faster pace.”

In his response, the Songhai Rivers Development Initiative  Farm Coordinator, Mr. Tamunopriye Jaja said the MOU provides a framework for Songhai to contribute to  peace and security in the Niger Delta.  He said that: “It is no longer news that there is a new policy direction in the country tilted towards raising agriculture. It is obvious that demand for oil is diminishing, but agriculture remains a renewable source always in great demand.” Mr. Jaja added that “ In the 1960s, agriculture was the mainstay of our economy; today   with the financial constraints, we have to go back to agriculture. We are to train and empower the trainees and we have chosen the cluster farm method. We will provide efficient service-delivery, we will work as a team and   give our best”

The MOU is valid for an initial period of eighteen months for Agri-Business training, land acquisition, establishment of cluster  farms, Post-Training Empowerment Programme and the establishment of market chain.