By Hamza Suleiman
Maiduguri, – A member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ahmadu Jaha, has distributed input and water pumps to 400 farmers to boost dry season activity in the state.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jaha distributed the items to the benefiting farmers on Monday in Maiduguri.
The lawmaker, representing Chibok-Damboa-Gwoza Federal Constituency, said the input was to farmers affected by the insurgency in his constituency.
He noted that the gesture was to provide livelihood to the displaced farmers and contribute to food security in the area.
Jaha explained that he used his allowances from the National Assembly in the procurement of the water pumps and input.
“I feel my people are suffering and I am doing this to empower them; this is from my emolument. We have not started anything either through zonal interventions, capital projects or special projects in the constituencies.
“We have passed the budget and the implementation will commence in January 2020. I advise my colleagues, they should try to do the best according to the needs of the people of their respective constituencies.
“If the constituents need something that will develop them, let them do it, because at the expiration of our tenure, they might seek re-election and at the end of the day people will do performance appraisal.
“People at the end of the day will appraise our failure and performances to justify the confidence reposed in us, definitely they are holding us accountable,” Jaha said.
The lawmaker also called on the beneficiaries to ensure effective utilisation of the input and engage in productive activities.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Musa Imam, lauded the gesture, adding that it would ease difficulties they experienced in accessing the input.
Imam recalled that he used to pay N2,000 to hire a water pump to work in his farm, adding that “now I will use the money on other farm activities to produce more.”