Niger Flood: 32,557 Farmers Have Been Supported With Relief Materials By FG

Mustapha Habib Ahmed, NEMA Director-General; Ahmed Ketso, Niger State Deputy Governor; and Ahmed Matane, Secretary to the Government of Niger State, handing farm input to one of the recipients in Minna on Thursday.

To mitigate the impact of the 2020 flood on farmers’ livelihoods, the Federal Government has distributed relief goods to 32,557 farmers in Niger State.

Mustapha Habib Ahmed, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, who kicked off the distribution in Minna on Thursday, said the agency opted to start the North-Central distribution in Niger state because it was one of the worst-affected areas during the 2020 flood crisis.

The event, according to the DG, fulfilled the Federal Government’s commitment to providing farmers with a long-term recovery intervention and ensuring that their recovery cycle was completed in accordance with worldwide best practices.

“A total of 32,557 farmers have been verified and are slated to benefit from the Federal Government agricultural inputs intervention for Niger State,” he stated.

“We have 81,390 liters of herbicides, 48,834 liters of pesticides, 68,944 liters growth enhancer, 16,278 12.5kg bags of rice, 16,278 10kgs bags of maize, 16, 278 10kg bags of cowpea, 2, 252 units water pump, 8,139 units sprayers and 22,450 40kg bags of NPK fertilizers.”

Ahmed praised the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd. ), for his tenacity and unwavering commitment in prioritizing and assisting small-scale farmers.

He stated that the actual farmers who struggled in the rain and sunshine to feed the nation, ensure national food security, and uphold Nigeria’s honor were the beneficiaries.

The Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, expressed gratitude to the federal government for the gesture, saying that the relief materials  would go a long way in providing the Farmers with the help they needed to recover.

Bello, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Ketso, stated that the state would ensure that the products were used wisely and that a committee would be formed to monitor the farmers to ensure that the items were not sold.