Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom has inaugurated an palm tree revolution project as part of the state government’s agricultural development initiative.
Eno said that at the event in Uyo on Thursday that the first phase of the project would begin with the distribution of 620,000 oil palm seedlings.
He said that the initiative was in line with the agricultural revolution component of the state government’s ARISE Agenda.
“It is also in furtherance of the government’s agriculture and food security drive.
“Oil palm is central to our identity and way of life, our administration is restoring this age long cultural and economic heritage,” he said.
The governor said that oil palm in Akwa Ibom was more than a crop, and that it was a symbol of wealth, heritage, enterprise, and community life.
Eno said that Akwa Ibom would take its rightful place by massively growing oil palm trees across the length and breath of the state.
“The initiative is a deliberate means of creating wealth for our people,” he said.
The Governor disclosed that 500 farmers had been selected from each local government area to benefit from the the oil palm plant revolution.
“This will ensure monitoring. It will also ensure that the exercise achieves its set objectives and goal.
“Three years from now, you will begin to harvest, and it will last from generation to generation. We are by this programme placing wealth in your hands to grow and prosper,” he said.
He urged Akwa Ibom people to fully embrace the programmme in order to emancipate themselves economically.
In a goodwill message, Dr Gold Isona, the Executive Director of NIFOR, said that the Umo-led government had shown enormous commitment to agriculture and economic empowerment.