The Grace and Hope Youth Foundation, and NGO based in the North Eastern Region on Tuesday commenced the training of Internally Displaced Persons in (IDPs) in Adamawa on irrigation farming.
Bishop Denham Abba, Coordinator of the foundation, while addressing participants in Numan local government area of Adamawa, said the training was to be for victims of insurgency with knowledge on irrigation agriculture.
Abba stressed the need to support the IDPs with entrepreneurial skills to empower them to be self-reliant after they return to their communities.
He commended the local government council under the leadership of Mr Boniface Lambau for providing land and technical staff for the demonstration of the project.
He said that the problems envisaged for the training were inadequate water pumps, accommodation, feeding, seedlings and herbicides among others.
He, however, said that upon completion of the training, participants would acquire the knowledge and skills to operate irrigation farming by themselves.
According to him, this project requires sustainability considering its importance to mankind.
In his remark, Lambau, the Sole Administrator told the IDPs to consider their present predicament as an act of God.
He encouraged them to concentrate on the training so as to sustain their livelihood in future.
The sole administrator appealed to both states and federal government to encourage such projects, as well as to provide farm implements and land for such projects.
According to him, this project is capable of sustaining economies of local communities and this is one of the cardinal objectives of the president Muhammadu Buhari’s government in ensuring self-dependency.
In her vote of thanks, Mrs Mary Samson, women leader of the IDPs commended the foundation and the local government for their concern over the plight of the IDPs.
Samson gave assurance that the skills would be utilised adequately for the survival of mankind, adding that the training would go a long way in ensuring self-reliance of victims of the insurgency.
By Tom Garba, Yola