Prince Mendy Archibong, Founded of Prince Archibong Life Foundation, PALF, flanked by chairman of Obot Akara local government area, lady Agnes Udoenwenwen (2nd from right) and Prof Maria Ikorok, presenting a grant to a female farmer in Obot Akara.
By Victor Essang
A non-governmental organisation, Prince Archibong Life Foundation, PALF, has given a grant of N1.5 million to 30 rural, female farmers in Akwa Ibom State.
A grant which was given to female farmers in Obot Akara local government area, was done in collaboration with the chairman of the local government council, Lady Agnes Udoenwenwen.
The gesture was not only part of efforts to boost agriculture but an attempt to complement various agricultural programmes of the present administration towards ensuring food sufficiency in the state thereby reducing hunger.
Songs of joy from the beneficiaries filled the air when the news of the grant was brought to their notice. They danced and appreciate their benefactors hoping that the financial assistance will go a long way to add value to their farming business and help put food on their tables.
The President and founder of Prince Archibong Life Foundation, Prince Mendy Archibong said the grant was given to the women to assist them in their farming business so as to promote food sufficiency in the state and reduce the level of hunger and poverty in the state.
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Archibong who quipped “when you remove hunger from poverty, poverty is eradicated “, said “our purpose is to see that we reduce poverty.”
He added that the gesture was to complement the policies and programmes of the present administration on agriculture and food sufficiency.
Beneficiaries of the grant posing in a group photo with EXCO of Prince Archibong Life Foundation and members of Exco of Obot Akara local government area.
The president urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the grant for the purpose they were given, while pledging the foundation’s resolve to monitor the them to ensure they put the money into use to maximise profit.
He promised, “if they do well, we will empower more of them”, adding that the foundation intends to empower more than 200 women in the area if the first batch performs well.
Archibong lauded the chairperson of Obot Akara for partnering the foundation to empower the women, saying that with the way she operates, her administration was likely to attract more developments to the local government.
He used the occasion to thank the governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel for his giant stride in agricultural sector which he said has started yielding fruits and prayed God to bless him.
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The president of Prince Archibong Life Foundation also appreciated all the political appointees in the area for their contributions towards the development of the area and sued for more of such gestures.
In her remark, the chairperson of Obot Akara, Lady Agnes Udoenwenwen, who said her administration was determined to giving succour and self-independence to female farmers in the area, added that encouraging them was very paramount, especially now that the country places so much importance on diversification of the economy through agricultural production.
Udoenwenwen, who described women as the major drivers of food processing and marketing who constitute 70 to 80 per cent of the labour force in agriculture, decried that women farmers had limited access to credit facilities for the enlargement of their agric business, hence the decision to empower the women.
The local government boss noted that if the funds was well managed by the beneficiaries, it will go a long way to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger while creating employment.
Udoenwenwen who said the grant was the first batch, promised to liaise with various stakeholders in government and other fields of endeavour to bring development to the people of Obot Akara.
“As government, we shall continue to initiate programmes and embark on projects that would give our local government area a respected presence in Akwa Ibom State, have direct and positive impact on the ordinary masses as well as empower our people in agriculture and other areas”, she said.
She lauded Prince Archibong Life Foundation for its humanitarian services to people and communities, describing it as worth emulating by other spirited individuals.
Also speaking, the immediate-past chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof Maria Ikorok poured encomiums on the president of the foundation, Archibong, for his humanitarian gesture which she said were divinely inspired and prayed God to reward him.
Ikorok while congratulating the beneficiaries of the agricultural empowerment for making the list, advised them to make good use of the grant to enlarge their agric business.
Responding to the gesture, some of the beneficiaries expressed happiness for the grant and thanked their benefactors for reaching out to them at the point of their needs and prayed God to bless and enrich them.
Mrs Ifiok Effiong, said, “I am very happy and I ask God Almighty to bless Prince Archibong’s Life foundation for wiping my tears as a widow with four children.
Effiong promised, “I will use this money to buy crops and plant in my farmland so that I can feed my children and also train them in school.”
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For Mrs Nsikan Samuel, the gesture “is God’s grace upon me and this the first time in my life to have such opportunity like this and I am very grateful.”
Samuel said she will use money and buy seedlings to cultivate in her farmland this season so that she can have bumper harvest.
Others who spoke with excitement and appreciation to the donors included Mrs Nse Okonna and Magdalen Nyong.
They promised to make judicious use of the grant while thanking the foundation and the local government boss for coming to their aid.
Highpoint of the event was the presentation of the grant to the beneficiaries by the president of the foundation, assisted by the chairperson of Obot Akara local government area.
