The leaders of a farmers group and a cooperative society in Enugu state, Obimo Farmers Association and Izunwanne Obimo Multi Purpose Cooperative Society have called on the Governor Peter Mbah to come to the aid of Obimo Community in Nsukka local Government Area of Enugu state. The farmers want the government to provide them with tractors and other farming equipment and inputs. He said this will help the farmers to improve their farming conditions and ensure food security in the community and Enugu State.
The chairman of Obimo Farmers Association Chamberlain Anenechukwu Ugwuoke appreciated Enugu State Agricultural Development Programme, ENADEP for organising training for Obimo Farmers a few weeks ago. Addressing a 30- Man think-tank selected by Izunwanne obimo to look into food insecurity in the Community, Mr Chamberlain Ugwuoke stated that it has become necessary now that rain has started in earnest to start discussing food security in Obimo.
Mr Ugwuoke noted that Obimo community people are predominantly farmers and a border town between Nsukka LGA and Uzo Uwani LGA. According to Mr.Ugwuoke, over the years the Obimo farmers cannot cultivate around their resident because of cows, goats, and other animals roaming the streets of the community.
He stated further that the most worrisome is that Fulani herders have occupied most of the farmlands with their cows, depriving Obimo farmers the opportunity of going to their farms, thereby threatening the livelihood of Obimo people.
He added that cows , goats and other animals sacrificed to a deity in the community whose While saying that the deity in the area was no longer of help to the people because the erstwhile Chief priest had converted to Christianity, he said farmers no longer plant yam and cassava even within the neighbourhood because the roaming cows and goats eat anything planted around.
He said, “The only alternative to our farmers is to go very far away into the forest to plant such crops which as well are being threatened by monkeys, rabbits and rodents, and cows of the herders.” Many Obimo elites at the meeting aired the same view.
One of the sons of Obimo at the meeting, the Program Manager, Enugu Agricultural Development Programme (ENADEP) Prof Ogbonna Sam Onyeisi thanked Mr.Ugwuoke for initiating the meeting.
According to Prof. Onyeisi, food security is a serious issue and a great concern of Enugu State and Federal Governments. Onyeisi stated that ENADEP, on her 2024 Pre-farming Season Sensitization for Enugu State farmers, visited Obimo on 20th April, 2024 and that the sensitisation is still going on across Local Governments in Enugu State for the purpose of improving food security.
