- Safiu Kehinde
A serving female National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) member in Katsina State, Nafisa Umar-Hassan, has trained 20 women on poultry farming and feed production.
This was disclosed by the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Prof. Ahmed Bakori, at the graduation of the women in Katsina on Saturday.
Commending the corps member, Bakori said the beneficiaries have undergone training on best agronomic practice in poultry production, management and market linkages.
The corps member, who is serving in Batagarawa LGA, said the gesture was part of her Community Development Service (CDS).
Umar-Hassan explained that her NYSC journey has really exposed her to so many lifestyles of the people of her host community and the state in general.
She commended women for their commitment, saying, ”they hardly take decisions without the permission of their husbands.
“After creating awareness among the women, I was able to convince 20 of them who actually participated in the training on best agronomic practice in poultry production, management and market linkages.
“I am assuring you that each of the women can now produce feed to start a poultry farm,” the corps member said.
She said that each of them has been provided with a plastic drinker, a bag of feed, a feeding tray, 25-day old chickens and verities of drugs for poultry production and sustenance.
According to her, with the support of the state Commissioner for Agriculture, other executive council members and philanthropists, she was able to raise funds to provide the required materials for the empowerment.
Also speaking at the event, the state Coordinator of the Fadama Project, Malam Mohammed Bello, said the support was a collaboration between the corps member and his office.
According to him, the office considered the aim and objective of her initiative which convinced him to support the corps member, saying,” ”this is because it is in line with the project’s objectives.”
Similarly, Alhaji Sa’idu Ibrahim, the NYSC Coordinator in the state, also commended the corps member for her ingenuity and thoughtfulness to embark on the project.
He said that apart from this support, Umar-Hassan had previously drilled a borehole at Dan-Shirwa community, in Charanchi LGA.
Ibrahim added that she had also donated 50 mattresses each to the Primary Health Centres in Kaita, Batagarawa and Rimi LGAs.
”Umar-Hassan had also donated uniforms to 100 students at Batagarawa Primary School and provided street light to a Tsangaya School in Katsina,” he said.
Ibrahim, however, called on other corps members to emulate her by executing similar community-oriented projects in their various host communities.
The coordinator also advised the stakeholders, especially the state and local government officials, other well meaning individuals, corps employers and philanthropists to always support the corps members.
He further thanked the state government and the Batagarawa LGA, as well as the Commissioner for Agriculture for their support to the corps member.