NGO urges increased participation in agric

Founder of a multipurpose cooperative society, Ishiba Development and Empowerment Centre, Mrs. Elizabeth Praise, has urged Nigerians, especially those living at the grassroots, to embrace agriculture and make farming a priority in the nation’s quest to diversify the economy away from petroleum.

Praise, who made the call in a chat with Blueprint at the weekend, said her NGO was conceived to “help the needy and reduce poverty,” stressing that the nation had lots of unharnessed talents that could be lost, hence the establishment of Ishiba in 2006.

She disclosed that Development and Empowerment Centre (IDEC) was registered as a multipurpose cooperative society under the Cooperate Affairs Commission (CAC) to provide assistance and improve life at the grassroots.

Speaking further, she revealed that more than 28,000 people, among whom are widows from across the 36 states, including the FCT, “have benefited from the life-changing programmes of IDEC.”

 

Praise cited the pathetic case of a woman in Karmo District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs. Lilian Onyekwerei, who was abandoned with three deaf and dumb children by her husband, as example. Mrs. Lilian Onyekwerei was assisted with N100, 000 by IDEC to start a business in the FCT.

Commenting further, Dr. Praise observed that agriculture has enormous wealth when well harnessed, adding that due to the political influence of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration on agriculture, farmers are jubilating to the banks hoping that there will be greater increase in food production this year.

Praise said the NGO’s mission statement included “to help to empower and give hope to the hopeless in the society, revamp the agriculture sector in Nigeria in order to ensure the removal of Nigeria as soon as possible from the list of hunger nations.”

She said “this can be achieved with increased food production, job creation and building of enabling opportunities for other businesses from the sector,” stressing that the ideal was the integrate goals of Isheba Development and Empowerment Centre.

Praise, an evangelist, said the IDEC initiative “includes plans to introduce evangelism, transparency and the fear of God into micro-financing and multipurpose cooperative societies as the bedrock for educational upliftment, as well as a way of reducing hunger and support for the war against corruption in Nigeria.”

 

 

 

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