PRESIDENT, National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTs), Ken Ukaoha, has said the association plans to train 150 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Area 1 Camp in Abuja in maize and groundnut cultivation.
Ukaoha announced this in Abuja on Thursday when some members of the association visited the camp. According to him, the association will provide tools to assist the IDPs in farming in order to help them cater for their families. He said that NANTs would work with the community leaders to provide land for them to farm.
He advised them not to sell their votes during the election but to vote for people that would provide infrastructure and jobs for the upcoming youths.
“We need people that will address the issues of infrastructure, provide modern equipment for agriculture and job for Nigerians,’’ Ukaoha said.
He said that another reason for the visit was to let the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) know that people in the IDP camp had the right to vote.
Ukaoha said, “we want to educate them to know that their future is in their hands and not to sell their votes and mortgage their lives.”
The association distributed 30 bags of rice and also gave them the “Farmers Manifesto and Traders Charter Demands.” He advised them to read the book so that they could always present it whenever politicians came to solicit for their votes.
Ukaoha said the book called for increased budgetary allocation to agriculture, dedication of at least 60 per cent of agriculture funding to small-scale farmers, adding that it also urged governments to enunciate action plan for the support of farmers and roadmap for the resolution of herdsmen-farmers crises.
Women Leader in the camp, Mrs. Idiatu Ayuba, urged the association to ensure that it fulfilled its promise of training 150 persons on agriculture.
Ayuba said they had been in the camp for five years and pleaded with government to address the security issues there to enable them return to their homes.
She however thanked government for its effort in fighting against terrorism and urged it intensify the effort.
“We want to go home but the security issue has not been totally addressed; more personnel needs to be sent to the area,’’ Ayuba said.
