Sunday 18092016

SUNDAY Vanguard, SETPEMBER 18, 2016, PAGE 21
08116759757
NDDC model to crash price of rice
— Guanah, rice farmer
BY FESTUS AHON
SINCE the price of oil began
to drop last year,
government has been encouraging
agriculture as alternative source
of revenue for the country.
Some Nigerians, who heeded the
government call, are doing very
well in farming and creating jobs
for a large number of youths.
While some of them went into
rice, cocoa and palm plantation,
others went into poultry, piggery
and fish farming among others.
One of them, a major rice farmer
in Delta State and Chief Executive
Officer of Guanah Farms
Limited, Raymous Guanah,
spoke to the Sunday Vanguard on
his experience and challenges in
rice farming.
On how it has been as a farmer,
Guanah said: “ It has been very
exciting. Overtime, we have been
trying to overcome the challenges
associated with large scale
commercial agriculture”.
“As at today, we are doing rice
cultivation and processing. Our
rice is in the market; we have a
brand, Unity Rice. We also
produce seed for the seed council,
that is, we produce rice seed for
farmers”.
On the capacity of his farm and
the tons he produce per day,
Guanah said: “The capacity of our
rice mill, which is the only modern
rice mill in Delta State, is one ton
per hour and if we have paddy as
much as possible we can process
all.
“Today we have 1600 hectares
that we are cultivating at Illah in
Oshimili North, Amoji in Ndokwa
West, Ogume in Ndokwa West,
Ogulama in Ndokwa West and
Ike-Onitsha. As long as we have
the resources, we will keep
expanding the size of our lands”.
On his challenges, he said “The
commercial agriculture, the main
challenge is with farm implement.
That is why today we are excited
to see that NDDC has supported
us with a complete tractor; it has
Plough, a bucket, slicher, harrow
and a rotavator.
“This will go a very long way in
supporting us to increase our
capacity both in preparation and
in harvest time. I don’t know how
the NDDC works, but for this
tractor I want to commend the
NDDC because I am a beneficiary.
They did real due process, they did
due diligence.
“For example, before we were
given this tractor, NDDC officials
visited our farms; saw what we are
doing, took photographs; they
asked for the titles to our lands, so
that anybody that asks them, they
can say that this land is given by
this community to this farmer.
They did all that due diligence
and, at the end of the day, gave us
these implements having found us
worthy.
“Therefore I want to say that they
should continue to be diligent
because there are many persons
that claim to be farmers whereas
they are not. Maybe in the past
they might have benefited wrongly
from this support NDDC is giving
to farmers but if they do the kind
of diligence they have done for us,
I am sure more farmers would
benefit, the real farmers, not just
political farmers or briefcase
farmers.
“The tractor in the market today,
with all the implements attached
to it, will cost between N14
million and N16 million. I want
to appreciate the NDDC
particularly the staff on ground at
the Warri office.
“I want to appreciate the State
Director, Mr. Gbugbemi Ogor. He
saw me once. The way he spoke to
me shows that NDDC is willing
and able to support farmers. The
NDDC is doing so much for us as
farmers. I want to also ask that it
is not enough to just give us
tractors; they should also visit our
farms to see what we have been
able to do in our farms with the
tractors”.
On whether Delta State
government is supporting him,
Guanah said, “Delta State
government gave us tractors and
asked us to pay 40 percent of the
cost instalmentally.
“It is a wonderful thing but I
want to use this opportunity to
plead with the state government
to look at the gesture of the NDDC
and convert that 40 percent to
grant and it will go a long way in
assisting us.
“One day let them say they have
seen what we are doing with the
tractors and write off the cost.”
Our mandate is to help achieve
Sustainable Development Goals
– Youth Corps member Grace
FM
C
M
Y
K
•Guanah with the tractor given out by the NDDC
Enugu lifeline for old people
BY CHINWEOKE
AKOMA
LIFELINE came the way of
Old People’s Home located
in Achara Layout, Enugu State.
The home, built by the White
Sisters Missionary in 1975
before it was handed over the
Nigerian Missionary Sisters had
continued to suffer hardship due
to inadequate attention
particularly as many rarely
remember that such place
existed.
Although the home was built
purely for charity to help the
elderly people, it can only
accommodate 48-50 inmates
including the4 staff.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that
the inmates of the how, which
only last year marked its 40 th
anniversary, shed tears of joy
when members of Enugu
Progressive Social Club of
Nigeria visited them as part of
their annual presentation of
foodstuff, dresses and cash to the
inmates. Some of the excited
inmates danced and sang their
gratitude to the club members. A
similar scenario played out at the
Enugu Cheshire Home when
members of the club also paid a
visit to the home.
Such is the character of the
Enugu Progressive Social Club
of Nigeria, a high profile club in
the coal state, made up of men.
There is this mistaken belief
that the club is made up of Enugu
indigenes alone. Far from it. The
club is made up of people from
every part of the country
particularly from the south
eastern part of country. For
instance, the club’s National
President, Chief Kenneth
Ofordile (Looloo), hails from
Ezeagu local government of
Enugu State while his vice, Chief
Mos Okeke, (Onwa Ide), is from
Idemili local government area of
Anambra State. The PRO, Mazi
Omife I. Omife, Mbuze
Mbaukwu, is from Awka South
local government area of
Anambra.
The club is well known for its
philanthropic activities, conflict
resolution and peace initiatives
which have impacted on the
socio-political stability of Enugu
and the south east zone in
general. But whereas the core
purpose of the club is
philanthropy and charity, the
Enugu Progressive Social Club
of Nigeria is in the frontline for a
better society.
According to Ofordile, just like
other notable other social clubs
in the country, it is working
assiduously to reduce the
suffering of masses and the less
privileged in the society in
various forms, including
educational scholarship to
indigent students, donation to
charity homes and payment of
medical bills of indigent patients
in hospitals.
*The visitors in a tete-a-tete with the inmates
•Grace addresses her proteges
Grace Florence Mathew
(Grace FM) is a Youth Corps
member, but she goes about doing
good for nothing in return. Full of
talents and skills, she organises
lectures, workshops, and seminars
through which she imparts those
skills to both the young and old for
free. She spoke to Sunday
Vanguard about her charity works
and the difference between
Millennium Development Goals
and Sustainable Development
Goals.
MDGs vs. SDGs
Many years after the
Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs)
had been established, debates,
consultations, and deliberations
were on among stakeholders
regarding what, how and why
there should be an all round
development agenda that will
build on the MDGs and to
include areas and issues that were
not captured in the MDGs. In
September 2015, the United
Nations eventually established
the 17 global goals known as
Sustainable Development Goals
with 169 targets.
The 17 SDGs
The first goal is poverty
eradication, followed by zero
hunger tolerance. Then good
health and well being must be
achieved for all.
Other goals are quality
education, gender equality, clean
water and sanitation, affordable
and clean energy, decent work and
economic growth, industry
innovation and infrastructure.
Then, inequality must be
reduced. Sustainable cities and
communities must be built, and
responsible consumption and
production has to become a way
of life. Other equally important
goals of the SDGs are climate
action, which has become the bane
of our world today; directly
related to the climate goal is the
preservation of life below water
as well as life on land.
Peace and justice, strong
institutions, and partnership for
the goals complete the 17 SDGs.
The SDGs and Us
The SDGs have come to
complete the unfinished business
of the MDGs, and Nigeria is not
left out in the commitment to
completing this unfinished
business and achieving success.
Our obligation, therefore, is our
commitment towards achieving
success in this.
If I can make impact in my own
little way, then that will help in
achieving the 17 sustainable
development goals (SDGs).
Everyone, everywhere, has a duty
to make contributions.