By Barbara Nwaiwu
No fewer than 500 farmers in Ikorodu Federal Constituency, Lagos State, have received 50kg bags of fertiliser under a Federal Government agricultural intervention aimed at boosting food production, supporting smallholder farmers and advancing the agricultural objectives of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The fertiliser distribution was held on Saturday, bringing together beneficiaries from the six Local Government and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) that make up Ikorodu Federal Constituency.
The intervention, implemented under the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), is designed to provide smallholder farmers with essential farm inputs to increase agricultural productivity, enhance food security, reduce cultivation costs and promote sustainable agricultural development.
Representing the member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rep. Babajimi Adegoke Benson, at the distribution exercise, the Director-General of Jimi Benson’s iCare Foundation and Executive Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on the Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA), Mayor Deen Sanwoola, said the programme reflected the lawmaker’s commitment to ensuring Federal Government initiatives reach grassroots communities.
Sanwoola described agriculture as a critical sector for national development, saying providing farmers with essential inputs would strengthen food security, improve rural livelihoods and stimulate economic growth.
He added that Benson remained committed to ensuring residents of Ikorodu Federal Constituency continued to benefit from people-centred programmes of the Federal Government.
“This fertiliser distribution is more than an empowerment programme; it is an investment in our farmers, our food security and our collective future. Rep. Babajimi Benson believes that when farmers are supported, families are fed, businesses grow and communities prosper. That is why he remains committed to bringing the dividends of the Renewed Hope Agenda directly to the grassroots,” Sanwoola said.
He urged beneficiaries to make productive use of the fertilisers to improve crop yields and household incomes, expressing confidence that the intervention would positively impact farming communities across the constituency.
Beneficiaries described the programme as timely, citing the increasing cost of fertiliser and other agricultural inputs.
“We are sincerely grateful to President Tinubu for this thoughtful programme and to Rep. Babajimi Benson for ensuring that farmers in Ikorodu are not left out. Buying fertiliser has become very expensive, so this support will go a long way in helping us improve our harvest,” one of the beneficiaries, Adewale Ojo, said.
Another beneficiary, Vivian Adewole, commended Benson for consistently responding to the needs of his constituents through practical interventions.
The beneficiaries also praised the transparent and orderly conduct of the distribution exercise, saying the selection process ensured genuine farmers from different parts of the constituency benefited from the programme.
They pledged to make effective use of the fertilisers to increase food production, improve harvests and contribute to agricultural growth in the constituency.
