Farmers, education empowerment: Umuawulu example

THE consciousness of Anambra people in agricultural and education sectors has been raised a notch higher by Governor Wilie Obiano in his populist programmes and “Community Choose Your Projects Initiative” reverberating across the landscape of the entire state.

Through advocacies by the Ministries of Agriculture and Education, traditional rulers and presidents-general of town unions have acknowledged the primary importance of education and agriculture in the efforts of the state government to make the state a delight of indigenous and foreign investors.

The ebullient governor has bent over backwards in making the state secure through massive financial assistance and logistics support to the law enforcement agencies operating in the state. The great leap in the education and agricultural sectors has been keyed into by the leadership of many communities which is paying great dividends.

Traditional rulers in the state have creatively changed the narrative of “Iwaji” ceremony being done yearly to raise the profile of farmers which has been a source of gainful employment thus stemming the exodus of able-bodied youths to semi-urban and urban centres in vain search for white-collar jobs.

The traditional ruler of Umuawulu, Awka South Local Government Area, Igwe Joel Mmaduadichie Egwuonwu, who celebrated yam festival in grand style, stunned his subjects when he announced the grant of N20,000 for farmers who won awards in the competition for yam harvest to enable them buy farm inputs for the coming year’s farming.

In the same vein to create the awareness that education is key to human transformation, Eze Udo the second also announced huge grant to the sons and daughters of the community in the institutions of higher learning who made first class in their degree examination.

“I have, together with my cabinet, deemed it expedient to be encouraging farmers to make them believe that time has gone when farmers are regarded as the wretched of the earth. We are poised to reward hardworking farmers even to enable them own vehicles”, the monarch enthused.

Continuing, he said: “We have keyed into the example of our hardworking governor who encourages hardworking students so that Anambra state will maintain the exalted position in local and international competitions”.