The executive director of Songhai Delta, Amukpe, in Sapele local government area of Delta state, Dr. Theo Okpidi, says his agricultural training institute will continue to add value to the agricultural value chain through building capacities of young men and women to be become agricultural entrepreneurs at the grassroots.
Dr. Okpidi who stated this during the graduation of some Presidential Amnesty beneficiaries who undertook a month intensive training course in fish farming at Songhai Delta, expressed satisfaction with the performance and peaceful conduct of the trainees throughout the training period.
He noted that the Amnesty delegates had exhibited high sense of responsibility and maturity while the training course lasted, describing their batch as the best in terms of maturity, sense of community and cooperation with the instructors and other staff at the centre.
The executive director who was full of praises for President Muhammadu Buhari and the management of the Amnesty office for the good will extended to the institute said ‘‘Songhai Delta organized this elaborate graduation ceremony in your honour to appreciate your excellent performance and peaceful conduct throughout your stay with us here in Songhai Delta”.
“As you go to your various communities, be good ambassadors and make use of the knowledge you have acquired from this great training centre. I have also recommended you to the Presidential Amnesty office as the best trainees here, so far.
‘‘I therefore urge you to make good use of this great opportunity to improve your lives and create further jobs for other jobless youths as entrepreneurs”, the executive director said.
Earlier, the training coordinator, Mr. Gabriel Egoh who spoke in the same light, expressed satisfaction with the general performance of Amnesty delegates during the training.
He admonished the graduates to shun bad behaviours that would be inimical to the growth and development of the society.
Mr. Egoh noted that the beneficiaries had the best opportunity to be trained at Songhai Delta, Amukpe, describing the centre as one of the best agricultural skills’ acquisition training centre in West Africa.
In their remarks, some of the trainees, Mr. Wise Onobruche, Mr. Odioko Moses Oghenevwomuel and Mr. Onos Osoyo who spoke with reporters shortly after the graduation ceremony, pledged to embrace peace at the grassroots, while showing their solidarity to the new Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Professor Charles Dokubo, describing the new Amnesty boss as a man of integrity and discipline.
They expressed gratitude to the federal government and the management of Songhai Delta, for giving them the opportunity to be trained in various agricultural skills’ areas, such as fishery, hatchery, piggery and snail farming, among others.
General Wise, the leader of the trainees, appealed to the new Amnesty Coordinator to use his good offices to correct what he described “many wrongs in the Presidential Amnesty office to make the programme more effective in line with the original blue print of the programme, as initiated by late President Shehu Musa Yar’Adua to achieve enduring peace in Niger Delta”.
