By Ibrahim’s Yusuf
In an attempt to support the Government to tackle unemployment and insecurity bedevilling the nation,
Teku Int’l Farms and Agro Allied Services Limited, Kaduna on Saturday, May 11, 2019, commenced free training for 150 youth on horticulture and fish farming business which include flowing plants, economic trees,land scaping fumigation,orchard designation,fish hybrid seedling and maintenance.
Founder of the Farms, Alhaji Ibrahim Salisu said the gesture was his own little way to give back to the society to help solved the problems of youth restiveness, unemployment, insecurity particularly in Kaduna state and also to support federal and state government toward reducing the burden of unemployment among youth and elderly person in the societies
According to him, the program is a 4-week intensive training to educate, enlightened and also help the youth fight poverty through creativity. And also to raise more awareness on the importance of horticulture business,so as to enables Nigerian graduate become self employed through this bussiness
On what motivated him to go into such venture, Alhaji Salisu said there were teaming number of unemployed graduates roaming the streets, and that gives him the reason to motivate them through the training.,so as to help them stand-up and fight poverty and unemployment that is contributing in causing security challenges in the country
“Insecurity is another factor and it’s becoming a big threat to Nigeria; as most people who carry out this dare devil’s activities are youth.
“So, I felt the best way to contribute to salvaged the situation is to bring the youth on board, trained them on horticulture and fish farming business,” he said.
“we need only 150 graduate but we have over 1000 people that apply for the training, that is really shocking”
The founder pointed out clearly that, they have published the form application on line and its free for kaduna state youth , but springily youth from other neigbouring state came to kaduna for the one month training
“I creat this program so as to support my country Nigeria to reduce the number of unemployed graduate in other became entrepreneurs and other specialist in fish farming”
“I believed kaduna state government would be happy with my iniciative and am hoping to start training widows and destitutes,so that they can also become self reliant”
Additionally ,he said,last year he gave-out over 500 different species of tress to kaduna state government, to fight desertification and climate change,
Also donated hundreds of trees to both churches and mosques and public schools trees,to reduce global warming
The Head of Department, Horticulture and Landscape Technology, Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna State, Dr Akintunde Sodimu said that the youth should know that there are so many things they could lay their hands on which does not acquire a large capital investment.
Dr Sodimu who was a Guest Lecturer, said there are different branch of horticulture which includes: Olericulture, Floriculture, Pomology and Landscape Technology.
He explained that these areas of horticulture deals with flowers, vegetables, fruits and landscape technology which involved the use of concrete.
According to him, the youth needed to exploit these branch of horticulture; pointing out that if they’re able to exploit these areas, he believed that poverty would reduced in the country.
He also said that he believed if Governments are very focused on these areas, immediately the youth are trained on these areas they should be established, and as well government should set up a particular committee to monitor them which he believed they will do well in the business.
Also speaking, a retired Director of Forestry in the state, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, commended Teku Int’l Farms for assisting the government in getting the youth out of the streets by engaging them on fruitful venture.
He however called on government, philanthropists and other well meaning Nigerians to visit the farms in order to add value to it.
He added that if government assist the farms it will help in no small way to reduce unemployment cum insecurity in the state.
A participant, Ms Precious Matthew, said that she was at the program because of her passion for agriculture.
According to her, as a trained Architect she decided to venture into fish farming with knowledge she had on the business but at the training her target is horticulture.
‘I hope to learn more about horticulture since this is my first time on the business,” she said.
In his own message to the event, Dr yusuf nadabo, The patron African climate reporters says, the free training would help to reduce the number of unemployed youth in the community
Stressing that African climate reporters would surely support him new innovative ideas and also participate in training more youth in the next season
While calling on CSO and NGOS that are protecting environment to start raising awareness on flood and other natural diseaster and advices the public to be care of water-borne-diseases as a result of flood
