The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, has stressed the need for collaboration between the ministry and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the implementation of the $129.17 million Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Programme in the Niger Delta, LIFE-ND.
Speaking during a courtesy visit at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, Nanono, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Mohammed Bello Umar, said that the partnership with the NDDC and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, would create thousands of jobs in the Niger Delta region.
The LIFE-ND delegation was receive by the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Gbene Dr. Joi Nunieh; the Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chief Ibanga Bassey Etang and the NDDC Director Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr George Ero.
The minister said that the programme had two main components, namely; enhancement of the economy of the rural youths, as well as the project management and coordination to be effectively carried out between the ministry and the NDDC.
He stated that the essence of the programme was to enhance the income and livelihood of the youths and women in the Niger Delta; provide food security and create jobs on sustainable basis in the region.
To achieve the goals, he said that collaboration was necessary for the successful implementation of the projects designed specifically for the people of the Niger Delta and for the good of all Nigerians, adding: “We need to harmonise the implementation strategies with the NDDC and also work together to deliver the promises made by the Federal Government to the people of the region.”
The minister identified four pillars of the LIFE-ND programme as provision of food security, import substitution, economic diversification and empowerment of youths by building their capacities.
He stated: “The overall goal of the programme is to contribute to the attainment of food security and economic growth of Nigeria through job creation, value addition, and promotion of business enterprises in agriculture, increasing rural income generation and improved livelihoods for youths and women.
“The LIFE-ND programme is key in the Federal Government’s agricultural policy for the Niger Delta region and that makes it very important for the NDDC to participate actively because you cannot be talking about infrastructure alone when people are hungry. “When people are hungry, they can get angry.”
In her remarks, the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Gbene Dr. Joi Nunieh, stated that the commission would take the delegation from LIFE-ND, into the creeks of the Niger Delta, adding that the youths would be waiting to receive and cooperate with them.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer said that the Commission was very particular about people in the rural communities, noting: “We will select ten communities and ten villages in the rural areas. We want to establish our youths to start recycling water hyacinths into papers. We want to educate and sensitize them. We will also encourage our people to have farms at their backyards.”
Nunieh declared: “We are very much interested in the LIFE-ND programme, which has the first phase of six years with parallel financing from NDDC to the tune of $30million and additional six years of financing from other partners in the future, which spans twelve years. The total project cost to be incurred during the twelve year implementation period comes up to $129.17million.”