The National Directorate of Employment, NDE Lagos State Office has started the disbursement of loans to eligible farmers in a bid to ensure food sustainability in the State.
The effort is being made under the NDE’s Rural Employment Promotion Department, REP by its vision statement.
The NDE was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria to combat mass unemployment and generate jobs for the masses. The loan scheme is one of the many schemes of the directorate which are designed to empower eligible citizens.
The NDE Director General, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, who was represented by the Lagos State Coordinator Mrs. Serena Olayebi Edward while speaking to participants at the flag-off in Lagos, said the essence of the programme is to assist farmers with soft loans to help boost their agriculture businesses.
Mrs Edward explained that the loan being disbursed came as a single-digit repayment option with a six-moratorium period which would be paid within a 3-year repayment period.
She said, “Agriculture as we all know, serves as the bedrock of the growing economy of any nation. Asides from the provision of food and raw materials, agriculture is a very good avenue for employment opportunities to a very large percent of the population.”
Edward further explained that the disbursement was for various agriculture programmes under the REP.
“In all, for the first batch of the exercise, 7 beneficiaries were empowered in the Community Based Agriculture Empowerment Scheme, 11 beneficiaries under the Graduate Agricultural Empowerment Scheme, 15 beneficiaries for Sustainable Agricultural Development Empowerment Scheme, and nine beneficiaries for the Agricultural Enhancement Scheme in this batch,” she said.
She admonished the successful beneficiaries to endeavor to repay the loans given, saying that the right mindset towards government interventions on loans would see to the continued disbursement of loans from the Federal Government through the National Directorate of Employment for others to benefit.
Edward also urged the beneficiaries to use the money given judiciously, especially the moratorium period given, and encouraged them to be good ambassadors of the NDE.
Dominica Nwabufo
