Executive Chairman of the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board, Hon Samuel Oghenevwogaga Mariere has inaugurated Young Farmers Club designed to encourage participation of school children in farming activities for food sustainability in Nigeria.
Hon Mariere at the inauguration, harped on the need to ‘catch them young’ in the state so as to stimulate interest in agriculture at the early stage.
The ceremony which took place on Friday at the Ophromo Farms, an integrated farm settlement in Evwreni, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta state, has membership drawn from selected schools as well as Agricultural Science teachers in both Junior Secondary Schools and Primary schools across the state.
Addressing the participants, the SUBEB Boss noted that Nigeria has no business with hunger considering the abundance of resources like land, rainfall and sunshine required for sustainable farming activities all round the year.
Hon Mariere urged the school children to develop interest in farming to feed their families and make money for themselves, stressing that some of the richest people on earth are farmers.
The former Lawmaker who was a one time Commissioner for Water Resources Development, reinstated Governor Sheriff Oborevwore’s led administration to subsistence agriculture in the state and called for the support of all relevant stakeholders.
Mariere congratulated the selected participating schools for their recognition and urged them to be committed to the success of the programme.
Two resource persons, Dr Adeniyi Babalola from the Dennis Osadebey University, Anwai- Asaba and Mrs Mary Ononuju, a Deputy Director, Delta State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, charged participants to embrace the task ahead with all seriousness as they are challenges and benefits in farming.
They encouraged all to go into farming of whatever scale possible to help grow the economy and ensure food sufficiency.
The participants were taken on a guided tour of the various departments of the farm to see and draw practical experience on the working of the different sections of the farm, including Poultry and egg production, fish ponds of different sizes, plantain plantation, cassava farm, pepper and tomatoes farms and animal husbandry.
Some of the children and teachers who spoke at the end of the event, commended the organizers for the life-changing experience the opportunity granted them.
The ceremony was attended by officials of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Education Secretaries from the 25 local government areas of the state, school heads and top officials from SUBEB.