As a step towards achieving agricultural revolution by the present Akwa Ibom government, 31 youths of the State are to undergo training in the Songhai agricultural technology at Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, announced this while fielding questions from Government House Correspondents at Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, upon his return to the state from an official trip.
Eno said the youths after training are expected to replicate the Songhai Farm technology in the state and explore agricultural investment opportunities for the state.
Also read: Bring your enterpreneurial acumen to bear on Akwa Ibom- body urges Umo Eno
He said, “the visit to Songhai farm was to see for ourselves what we are about getting into, and have a clear understanding of how it works and that we have done.
“The team and myself, we are extremely amazed at what we have seen on the ground and I believe we can replicate that. We need to get committed people. The story of Songhai is commitment, commitment and commitment.
“I know Akwa Ibom people are committed people. We are going to get young people across the 31 local Government areas that are committed. They will be trained. We are about sending 31 of them off to Songhai for two months to get first hand view of the training and then bring them back. By that time, the farm clearing would have been over.
The Governor explained that the 31 trainees will complement the 15 youths who had undergone training to work in the farm and identified commitment as a major requirement to setting up and maintaining the Songhai farm.
“While I was running for office, we trained 15 before on my personal account. So the fifteen are here now. We are going to train another 31 to make it probably 40 send them to Songhai and they will learn and come back and join the farm,” he stated.
“But what is most important is to have young people who are committed, leaders that are committed. I am sure we we will be able to make this happen.
Governor Eno who described his visitation to the farm as insightful , expressed confidence in the ability of Akwa Ibom youths to exhibit such commitment after undergoing the two months training in the farm, assuring that the trainees would be sufficiently equipped with the technological skills to work in the farm to be established in the State.
The Governor also visited the Dakkada Luxurious Estate site in Uyo, where he charged the contractors to work towards actualizing the vision of the government in the housing sector.
