RURCON has disbursed N12.5 million to 25 Cooperative Groups in Ikara, Soba and Makarfi Local Governments Areas of Kaduna towards reducing poverty, unemployment and strengthening food security.
Mrs. Dinatu Ayinzatu, Executive Director of RURCON, made the disbursement in Zaria on Tuesday. She said the initiative was conducted with support from Bread for the World, Germany, and other partners towards strengthening food security and poverty eradication. The ED added that the initiative aimed to sustain the gains of the training and support programs provided to the groups on modern agronomic practices and animal husbandry.
According to her, each of the 25 cooperative groups received N500,000 as stipends to boost their agricultural businesses. Earlier, Mr. Iliya Meshak, Acting Food Security Project Officer at RURCON, reiterated that the initiative was intended to provide the target group with financial resources to strengthen their agricultural businesses. He added that each group has over 20 members, so the funding would reach about 500 beneficiaries from rural communities across the three LGAs. Meshak explained that the money would be deposited into the cooperative accounts to enhance accountability. He therefore tasked the beneficiaries to ensure effective and judicious use of the funds, as there would be monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure the program’s sustainability.
Presenting a keynote address, Dr. Yusuf Shehu of the Department of Soil Science at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria emphasized that the stipends were not a ‘national cake’. He explained that the initiative was designed to complement government efforts in reducing poverty, and he urged the group leaders to ensure honesty and transparency.
Mr. Nuhu Yohanna, a beneficiary from Unguwar Danladi-Ricifa in Soba LGA, commended RURCON for the initiative on behalf of all the beneficiaries. He highlighted that the faith-based group had trained them in several modern agronomic practices, animal husbandry, and supported them in both wet and dry season farming. Yohanna noted that youths and women’s groups were now being empowered with funds for business, describing the initiative as highly commendable. He appealed to other NGOs to replicate this effort to enable more people to benefit from it.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the six-year RURCON food security project had earlier distributed 40 water pumping machines to 20 cooperative societies across Makarfi, Ikara, and Soba LGAs. (NAN)