Dr Sampson Ogah, the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, has said that the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development is reinvigorating its efforts towards realising one of its core mandates of assisting the federal government to realize its food security programme and will soon make farmers in Nigeria to smile.
Ogah, spoke at an empowerment initiative of a nongovernmental organization (NGO), Item Women Empowerment Initiative (IWEI) at Amokwe Item, Bende LGA of Abia. He explained that an agency of the ministry has been mandated to work out the easy method of establishing a fertilizer plant to enable farmers enjoy bumper harvests.
he was represented at the event by an Umuahia-based legal practitioner, Barr Obinna Mba. Further more, the Minister lauded the founder of IWEI, Dr Mrs Nnanna Orji for her foresight in empowering farmers in Item, Bende local government area of Abia State in order to produce better yields every year.
He consequently urged the people of Amokwe Item and entire Abia State to exploit the various programmes of the government aimed at enhancing quality of life for rural and ensuring more farm yields.
The founder/trustee of the Item Women Empowerment Initiative (IWEI), Mrs Orji in her speech, explained that the organization does not only assist farmers in Items alone, but provides financial aids and examination fees to indigent pupils and students in the area amongst other assistance.
According to her, “this organization is founded on the basic principle of love in action, such as education, skill acquisition, healthcare, financial aid to widows, provision of fertilizers, seedlings, money to farmers and other assistance.
“We’re deeply concerned over the high rate of school dropouts especially among our youths, forcing young girls to be lured into an alarming rate of unwanted pregnancy in the community”.
Mrs Orji, who was the pioneer Executive Chairman/Chief Judge of Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST), revealed that the NGO established an education fund in the year 2021 that assists students to complete their secondary and tertiary education, stressing that an initiative called ‘Catch Them Young’ that gives children from three to seven years the opportunity to read, write, learn mathematics and social skills has also been set up.
The Coordinator of the programme, Rev Father Agapitus Ike, who also spoke at the occasion, disclosed that IWEI will continue to impact on the lives of Item people, adding that its empowerment programme, which is meant to reduce poverty and provide education to indigent pupils/students in the community will soon be extended to other parts of Bende LGA.
The Item Women Empowerment as a nongovernmental organisation, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in December 2014, has seen some of these girls and boys complete their academics. One of it’s policy is to is to provide safety nets to thousands of young girls and boys as well as youths who are dropouts because of poverty. The objectives are anchored on the belief the members have the duty to do the work of God based on love to one another and charity to those who are in need.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
