ENUGU, NIGERIA — African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Enugu State, Obodoeze Ocho Chukwuma, has proposed an agricultural support framework designed to improve farmers’ access to funding, improved seedlings and essential farm inputs.
Chukwuma said his manifesto would establish a system for identifying genuine farmers and delivering agricultural interventions through properly registered cooperative societies.
In a statement outlining his agricultural development agenda, the candidate said farmers needed more than government promises to increase production. He argued that access to the resources required for cultivation was essential to improving food security, creating jobs and expanding the state’s agricultural economy.
Cooperatives To Identify Beneficiaries
Under the proposed framework, registered cooperative societies would serve as channels for distributing agricultural support.
Chukwuma said verified cooperative databases would help the government identify active farmers and direct assistance to intended beneficiaries.
He explained that the arrangement was intended to make access to agricultural interventions depend on verified participation in farming rather than personal connections, favouritism or the influence of intermediaries.
The candidate said a transparent identification and distribution process would be central to ensuring that public resources reach farmers who genuinely need them.
However, the statement did not specify the proposed verification procedures, eligibility criteria, funding arrangements or the mechanism for independently monitoring distributions.
Grants, Loans And Farm Inputs
Chukwuma’s proposed agricultural package includes grants, affordable loans, improved seedlings and other farm inputs.
According to him, the different forms of assistance would address financial and production-related challenges facing farmers.
Grants and affordable loans would provide financial support, while improved seedlings and other inputs would help farmers obtain resources needed for cultivation.
The candidate said the framework was intended to serve farmers operating at different scales, including small-scale farmers, private agricultural operators and large-scale commercial producers.
He maintained that agricultural development policies should recognise the different needs of farmers and provide an organised route through which eligible beneficiaries could access government assistance.
Food Security And Economic Growth
The ADC candidate linked his agricultural proposal to broader economic objectives, including employment generation, food security and economic growth in Enugu State.
He argued that improving access to agricultural resources would help strengthen the people responsible for producing food and support the development of the state’s agricultural sector.
His proposal places particular emphasis on establishing a verifiable system for identifying beneficiaries and tracking the delivery of assistance.
For such a framework to achieve its stated objectives, implementation would require clear eligibility rules, transparent allocation procedures, adequate funding and effective monitoring to reduce the risk of diversion or exclusion of eligible farmers.
Candidate Emphasises Accountability
Summarising the principles behind his proposal, Chukwuma said farmers must be identifiable, the distribution process must be transparent, and assistance must reach genuine beneficiaries.
The proposal forms part of his broader governance agenda under the slogan, “The Foundation of Redefined Governance.”
The candidate’s statement sets out his intended approach to agricultural support if given the opportunity to govern Enugu State. The grants, loans and input-distribution arrangements remain proposed commitments rather than confirmed existing programmes.
