From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

Rotary Club of Makurdi on Tuesday embarked on upskilling its members as part of its economic and community development project.

The event, which was held at the Wadata Rice Mill, had several members of the Rotary Club of Makurdi as well as members of the community in attendance.

The trainer, Mrs Bernadette Chia, a rich merchant, who owns a rice factory in the area, took participants through the process of rice production from parboiling, steaming, drying, milling, polishing, destoning and packaging.

Speaking at the event, the President of Rotary Club of Makurdi, Rotarian Joyce Tarka, noted that the project was part of Rotary International’s activity for the month of October geared towards community development.

‘It’s a community project involving women, men and young people. The purpose is to fulfil one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus which is economic and community development.

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‘This month, we want to teach our community members how to fish rather than give them fish. If they know how to do business, they will not just feed themselves alone but will also feed the community, the state and the nation.

‘As Rotarians, it is our duty to lead by example by developing ourselves to be economically strong and stable if they know how to do the rice business,’ Tarka said.

Mrs Chia, who disclosed that she had been in the business of rice production for over 30 years, said it takes about four days to process rice.

She harped on the need for government at all levels to encourage businessmen and women by giving them soft loans to boost their business.

Chia commended the Rotary Club of Makurdi for the laudable project, saying such a gesture would not only serve as an encouragement to those of them in the business but also assist others in acquiring the skills.