•Kwara Central lawmaker empowers 2,500 constituents
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, on Friday, described the empowerment programme carried out by Senator Saliu Mustapha as in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agriculture and food security agenda.
This is even as Senator Mustapha (APC Kwara Central) distributed empowerment tools and materials to over 2,500 constituents in Ilorin.
The event tagged: “Alubarika 1.0 Agricultural and Human Capital Development Empowerment Programme” was held at the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority’s premises in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who led other senators to the programme, donated 200 sewing machines for onward distribution to the Kwara Central constituents.
Apart from the prior entrepreneurial training and certification of the beneficiaries by the lawmaker, empowerment materials distributed during the event, which was well attended by dignitaries and beneficiaries, included 250 deep freezers, tricycles, 100 live cows, 400 grinding machines, eight tractors for four local governments in Kwara Central, vehicles, gas powered oven with cylinders, 400 irrigation machines, full university scholarship for 200 students, various food stuffs, fertilizers and farm inputs and power transformers among others.
Others are the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Lola Ashiru (Kwara South), Chief Whip of the Senate, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Chairman Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other financial institutions, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru, National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Ajibola Basiru, Chief Imam of Ilorin, Muhammadu Bashir, Emir of Ilorin, Sulu Gambari represented by Modibo Sulu Gambari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, and Senator Aminu Iyal Abass, among others.
Barau said: “We have all decided to come here and share this moment with our brother, Senator Saliu Mustapha because of this great empowerment programme for constituents in the area of agriculture and human capital development.
“These are key areas that are very important to our national development. We don’t need to waste much time talking about the importance of agriculture in every society. Agriculture is sine qua non to the survival of every society because without food no life. And this is a cardinal programme of this administration and the renewed Hope of Mr President to provide food for all.
“No wonder the constituents decided to pick Saliu Mustapha, who is an outstanding person and party leader in this country.
“He is a very friendly human being, industrious and peaceful, who connects with everybody in the Senate. In fact, you’ve done the right thing by electing him.
“All the time he’s going to speak on the floor of the Senate, it’s about what is going to come to Kwara.”
On his part, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, lauded Mustapha for implementing projects that promote food security in the country in line with the objectives of the present administration.
Kyari said: “You are doing well on the floor of the Senate. Tinubu’s food security initiative is working. Food isn’t only becoming affordable but available. Tinubu is working to promote agriculture.
“I am happy that the Chairman of the Senate Committee over-sighting me is also promoting Tinubu’s agenda. I pray to Almighty Allah to protect and guide us.”
Mustapha said the empowerment was meant to make the beneficiaries, which included market women, farmers and trade associations become self-reliant.
He said that apart from the physical empowerment materials, the beneficiaries had been trained and certificated on how to use the tools and carry out their trade as entrepreneurs.