Niger Delta Basin Development Authority plans to open eight Songhai farms across south-south

NIGER Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA) officials have announced plans to establish eight so-called Songhai farms across three states of the south-south geo-political zone as part of a plan to curb youth unemployment on the region.

Under an ambitious programme, the agency intends to open the farms in Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states. A Songhai farm is a new model of farming where there is no waste, as every bit of waste generated goes back into the farm as manure and also recycled to produce electricity.

Speaking during the closing of a youth empowerment scheme training programme at a Songhai farm in Kpong community in the Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, NDBDA managing director Mark Derefaka, said the authority already has four farms. Pointing out that 50 trainees had completed the scheme, Mr Derefaka explained that the goal was to have a Songhai farm in each senatorial district in the country to reduce the dependence on oil.

Mr Derefaka added: “Each senatorial district will have a Songhai farm. Currently, we have this one here in Kpong community for Rivers South East, we have another one in Sama in Asari Toru. we have one in Otueke in Bayelsa and one in Emonu-Orogun in Delta State.

“Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states are our catchment areas, so the plan is to have three in Rivers, three in Bayelsa and two in Delta. The goal is to have a Songhai farm in each of the senatorial districts in the country, to be piloted by the river basins. By next year, we should have at least five Songhai farms while we look forward to having eight in the nearest future.”

NDBDA executive director of agricultural services, Dr Summerset Embiowei, said the Songhai farm in Kpong has a 250 piggery capacity, 10,000 poultry capacity, 36,000 fish farm capacity and a plantation for oil palm, citrus, mango and plantain, among others. He added: “The scheme is a flagship initiative of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to respond to economic diversification from oil and to ensure food security, employment opportunities, enhance revenue for NDBDA and the training and retraining of youths in agriculture.”

Mrs Sira Ibrahim, the vice chairman of Khana Local Government Area, warned the trainees not to sell off their starter packs and make good use of the knowledge they have acquired through the training. She urged the youths to protect the facility and take advantage of it for their entrepreneurial development.

Speaking on behalf of the 50 trainees, Victoria Ihuoma, commended the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the NDBDA for the training, saying she had been empowered to become a farmer and an employer of labour. She added: “Nothing is a waste in farming. The poultry droppings are manure and also a feed for fish, while the water from the fish goes into the farm as manure. It is a value chain

“It has been a privilege to partake in this training. I pray that the NDBDA should continue with this kind of training so that at the end of the day more youths will be trained in agro entrepreneurship so that the number of unemployed youths will be reduced in the country.”