AMNESTY BOSS ASSURES DELEGATES OF EMPOWERMENT AT SONGHAI, AS AGRIC TRAINEES EXTOL HIS LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta/Coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (Rtd) has again assured delegates undergoing trainings in various centres across the country of their empowerment packages at the end the programmes, reiterating that President Muhammandu Buhari is determined to ensure stability in this region through his socio-economic development agenda.

The Amnesty boss who was represented by the Head, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Mr. Bestman Probel at Songhai, Omukpe, Delta State, where 100 Amnesty delegates are undergoing empowerment training in fishery and poultry said agriculture will guaranty food security in Nigeria.

Speaking through the Centre director, Chief (Dr) T J Okpidi, the deputy general manager of Songhai Delta, Mr. Ifowodo Rasmus, who also doubles as training manager, while commending the Amnesty Coordinator for his foresight in focusing attention on agriculture as a means of empowering the beneficiaries in the programme, described the current batch of 100 Amnesty delegates at the farm as the best set so far in terms of their conduct and attention to their studies.

“The trainees been so wonderful, initially when I heard amnesty programme, I was apprehensive, but after working together, I observed that most of them have been refined and can work and integrate into the larger society properly. We have been handling amnesty delegates over the years but this set is the best. They have been able to comply with our code of conduct and they have behaved maturely throughout the training here”.

“We have been engaged in all aspects of integrated farming, ranging from animal husbandry, crop production, agro allied processing, welding and fabrication, computer training, poultry, fishery, grass cutter, snail, piggery, quail and all other areas related to animal husbandry.

“In the area of crops, we mill in exotic vegetables, like carrot, garbage, cucumber, spring onions and the rest. In the agro allied section, we compound our feeds here for all animals, both fish, then we process juice. We are also into pastry production.

“Under crops, we are into milling of palm fruits, the palm oil you get from Songhai Delta, is hundred percent pure. Most of the equipment we use here like our feed mill machines was fabricated here.

“Currently we are handling 100 Presidential Amnesty Programme delegates that we are exposing them to complete agricultural training programme,

“So far we have trained them on how to start their own agric-allied enterprises, business accounting, we have trained them on how they can produce at the lowest cost and to compound feeds in all areas of their training both in fishery and poultry”, he explained.

Earlier, a senior integration officer and a social media expert, Mr. Gbaboyor Jude had admonished the delegates on relevance of the training programme, saying that at the end the training delegates will be empowered to start their farms under the mentorship of the office.

Mr Gbabayor Jude who also is a beneficiary said the Amnesty programme under Gen. Boroh has injected new blood into the programme through the various life changing training packages being introduced, ranging from automobile engineering, aquaculture, hospitality and catering, among others.

Speaking on behalf the one hundred trainees at yesterday at the Songhai integrated farm in Delta, Mr Koroama Solomon (32yrs) from Inokoragha community in Burutu local government area of Delta state said they were fortunate to be part of the integrated agricultural training, courtesy of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Gen Boroh.

According to him, under the first one week plus, delegates were given lectures on integrated farming, encompassing all aspects of agriculture, describing the training as the best thing has happened to the ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region.

He said at the end of the training they would be empowered by the Amnesty Office to own their farms which would serve as sustainable source of livelihood to enable them become self-sufficient and become even employers of labour as argic entrepreneurs.

“The Amnesty Office under Gen. has tried for us because after finishing this training we will work for ourselves without going to look for jobs any more as dependents again we will live on agriculture. We don’t have to rely on oil because when the oil price drops, agriculture is the next thing we can use to feed ourselves.

“We really appreciate the Amnesty office for this agric initiative; Gen. Boroh is really trying for us. When we were in the ceeks during the days of agitating there was no freedom because we were being caged but we endured because of the struggle then but now you can see I have freedom to contest elections, I have freedom to travel abroad and do anything I want to do because of the amnesty granted to me” he said.

Ms. Roseline Avwayekerho from Ughelli, in Delta State, who served as a cook during her days in camp, thanked the Amnesty Coordinator, Gen. Boroh for giving her and her colleagues lifeline through the agricultural empowerment training in Songhai Delta, which according to the forty one years old lady, has rekindled her hopes in life, saying that knowledge gained will assist her to start her own poultry farm that feed her family and make her become an agricultural entrepreneur after exiting the Amnesty programme in due course.

-Gbaboyor Jude & Piriye Kiyaramo