As part of his constituency project, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio on Boxing Day presented 10 outboard engine fishing boats to women and cooperative groups of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District in his country home in Ukana, Essien Udim Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom.

The women and cooperative societies were drawn from the riverine communities of Akwa Ibom State and have fishing as the mainstay of the economy of the area.

At the ceremony, the wife of the President of the Senate, Dr (Mrs) Ekaette Unoma Akpabio thanked the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio for remembering the women from the riverine communities of Akwa Ibom State.

She said the women were drawn from Eket Senatorial District because her husband is the Senate President for all, irrespective of the Senatorial Districts.

In his remarks, Akpabio commended the beneficiaries for their support. He said he had always enjoyed the support of women in Akwa Ibom State and therefore felt the need to empower them in their fishing business.

He told the women: “I can never forget your love; I can never forget your prayers, I can never forget your support. We are still standing strong because you are still praying.

“Let me thank you in advance for the support you will give to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. Today I’m making you also fishers of men. The nets will be for you to drag as much votes as possible for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in your Senatorial District.

“The President is very happy with Akwa Ibom State. Governor Umo Eno has made us proud. He is touching lives and making sure that human capital development is a major focus of his administration. Mine is to urge you to support him,” he said.

According to the Executive Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Dr Victor Antai who coordinated the presentation, each of the boats have fishing nets, refrigerator and extra tanks for fueling the boats and powering the outboard engines. The big boats have double 75 horsepower engines while the smaller boats have 40 horsepower engines.

A representative of the beneficiaries, Mma Nkoyo Isong expressed their appreciation to Senator Akpabio and his wife for empowering the women to fish instead of merely giving them fish. She said the women will reciprocate the kind gesture by their continued support for the Senate President and his party in the next general elections.

A few of the boats were brought for the symbolic presentation while Akpabio read out the names of the individual beneficiaries and the Cooperative Societies.

As part of her commitment to enhance poultry production as well as Corporate-social Responsibility, the British America Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) has partnered with the Akwa Ibom State Government to empower rural women with farm inputs.

Presenting the farm inputs to beneficiaries, the Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development, Dr. Offiong Offor lauded the initiative, saying it agrees with the ARISE agenda of Governor Umo Eno to boost agricultural production in the State.

Offor who reasoned that the foundation has made the good choice of the gender, that will run the vision, assured that in the next few years the noiler birds will multiply to boost food supply, across the State.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Mrs. Rosemary Ubia, she applauded the State government and Commissioner for supporting the empowerment program.

While commending the Directors and the team members for their contributions to the program, the Agriculture boss advised recipients to properly groom the birds to multiply, as monitoring team will visit their locations to assess the progress of the farms in due course.

In his speech, the General Manager, BATNF, Oludare Odusanya who spoke through the Program Officer, Dr. Umar Maina, said the vision of the foundation, in sowing the seeds for a brighter future in the State, is a reflection of her investing in enterprising women.

Odusanya, hinted that the foundation which was found in 2002 has invested over 4 billion Naira in support of government’ agricultural development programmes to reach about 13 million rural smallholder farmers in Nigeria, has gone beyond providing resources, to enhancing development, resilience and economic empowerment of rural communities.

He commended the State government, for embracing the programme through the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, to touch the lives of women in the rural communities, for income generation.

Welcoming the farmers, the Director Veterinary Services in the Ministry, Dr. Teddy Essien, said the programme is poised to promote rural agriculture and improve the species of our birds, called on the beneficiaries to propagate the intention of the foundation.

Setting the tone for the event, the Director Animal Husbandry, Dr. Namokwo Orok noted that the gesture is in line with the ARISE Agenda of the State government, which places agriculture revolution & rural development at the front burner and added that the partnership is timely.

In a brief training session, the Head of Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Aniefiok Okoko, said noiler species which are bred in Nigeria, is a genetic combination of layers, broilers and local chicks, having resistance to infections as well as ensuring feed efficiency.

In their separate goodwill messages, the State Chairman Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Alexander Bassey, a farmer Obonganwan Idara Eyo Ekpe and others stated that Akwa Ibom State is the second largest producer of broiler in Nigeria; therefore the choice of noiler specie is welcomed due to its resistance to diseases and quantity of meat.

They lauded the donors for the empowerment programme and gave a commitment to nurture the inputs received to multiply and ensure food sufficiency in Akwa Ibom State.

At the event 100 rural women across the Akwa Ibom State received 20 numbers, 4 weeks noiler birds, a bag of feed and vitamins to enhance their growth.

The Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development, Dr. Offiong Offor has advised the executives and entire members of Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive & Development Initiative (NWAPDI) to heed Governor Umo Eno’s call and embrace practical agriculture as such a decisive step would enhance agricultural production in the State.

Offor, who handed down the advice in Uyo during the official inauguration of the Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive & Development Initiative, said the State has several commodity groups and Associations under different umbrellas and added that NWAPDI is a new one set up to complement Government’s effort in making Akwa Ibom State, food sufficient.

She hinted that, the Ministry through the instrumentality of the Governor has distributed inputs and assets, to all categories of farmers, which has also trickled down to Public Schools, to re-awaken the interest of students in practical agriculture..

”Cultivate veggies behind your backyard, and discontinue with the habit of buying every food item from the market, in order to save the income for other contending needs of the family,” the Commissioner stressed.

While emphasizing that, the reality facing us today as a nation and world over, requires that we cultivate food to feed ourselves, Dr. Offor said awakening the consciousness of women and the populace in the practice of agriculture is on the increase.

The academic don commended the Governor for his commitment in the development of the rural areas, as evident in the construction of Model Schools, Primary Health Centres, compassionate homes among other facilities to enhance rural development

“I am glad at the turnout of women at the event, but I want this dream to come to fruition through your commitment to agricultural production.Governor Eno is passionately in support of increasing food production; hence the State government will continue to support different categories of farmers.

The Commissioner disclosed that a technical team from the Ministry is on ground to support the activities of NWAPDI, like the Ministry is doing for other groups, to ensure the women cultivate food crops snd raise livestock for a bumper harvest.

In her welcome remarks, the State Coordinator, NWAPDI, Mrs. Philomena Ntuen noted that the group is an organization conceived at the national level, exclusively for women involved in the agricultural sector and to attract support for women across the country.

Ntuen revealed that the objectives of the group include; developing the required skills to thrive in agriculture, partnerships with organizations, building strong relationships with policy makers to create an enabling environment for agric-entrepreneurship, among other goals.

She appreciated the Governor for assisting farmers in different value chains, but however solicited for support to NWAPDI, as it commences operation in the State.

In their separate remarks, the State Secretary of NWAPDI, Elder Uyai Francis,, Pastor (Mrs.) Matina Umanah, Akwa Obonganwan Patience Ukpa,, Mrs. Ekaette Akpan lauded the initiative and encouraged women across the State to key into it, for improvement of livelihoods.

They assured the Commissioner of their zeal to increase food production, and appealed to the State government to support NWAPDI to produce more food for the teeming population.