By Kudirat Musa
Abuja – The Fadama III Second Additional Financing (AFII) has begun the distribution of food assistance and livelihood packages to 1200 beneficiaries in 30 communities of Yobe state.
Mr Musa Abubakar, Communications Officer for the Fadama 111 AF11 programme, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
Abubakar said FADAMA’s intervention aimed at restoring hope and dignity of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and those that returned to their localities after the insurgency.
“The distribution comes under third batch of additional 27 Community Action Plans where 1200 persons will benefit from packages such as small ruminant, irrigation, poultry and fisheries in 14 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the State.
“ The beneficiaries of small ruminants had received either four goats and one buck or three sheep and a ram.
“ Irrigation farmers get water pump, hose, herbicides and insecticides, other are assorted seeds, fertilisers and sprayer,’’ the communication officer said.
He said beneficiaries from poultry business received 34 broilers at seven weeks and 40 layers as well as feeds and medication.
According to him, fish farmers get 350 fingerlings, feeds, plastic container and medication.
The statement quoted Mr Dauda Yusuf, the village of Nannawaji in Gujba LGA of Yobe, also a beneficiary, as commending Fadama III AF II for the various interventions given to 80 households in his village.
“Yusuf said many families were able to concentrate on their farms and not going for menial labour because of the food assistance given to them which had also help in safeguarding their livelihood,’’ it said.
Mrs Yafal Mata, a widow and mother of eleven children, said her children would undertake rice farming as they received the packages from Fadama.
“ When my husband was alive, we used to cultivate the farm but lack of means has hindered us from doing it,’’ she said.
Earlier, Malam Musa Garba, the State Project Coordinator, led inspection team to Gujba and Damaturu LGAs to supervise distribution of the livelihood packages,
Garba said that the project had set a standard, adding that compromising contract would not be tolerated.
“Fadama staff and facilitators are doing commendable work by ensuring that the right beneficiaries are the ones getting the supports.
According to him, so far not a single complaint was registered by the project, so they should continue with the good work.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the distribution is a continuation of batches one and two where 20 and 27 Community Action Plans were rolled out and over 3,000 households supported in the 14 LGAs in the State.
