The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity, Senator Diket Plang, has presented his constituents with ₦1 billion worth of empowerment items, including food items and grains.
The senator, who is representing the Plateau Central Senatorial zone which consists of Bokkos, Mangu, Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam local government areas made the presentation yesterday in Jos the state capital.
He said the presentation is part of his constituency project as well as his gesture for the Ramadan period.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Senator Plang explained that he hailed from one of the most rural communities in Plateau State, and thus understands the needs of his people in terms of empowerment for business, agricultural and other economic development and support.
The senator explained that the project is driven by the potential he sees in his people, and that it is designed to boost agricultural productivity, increase the economic capacity of the people, and also help them overcome financial constraints, including the challenges of digital transactions and payment systems.
“I have procured about 300 water pump generators. However, these are not just for 300 individual farmers. Many communities practice cooperative farming, where multiple farmers work together. A single pump can serve a group of ten farmers or an entire farming cluster, and this will encourage communal cooperation among irrigation farmers.
“Additionally, I have provided over 100 lister industrial grinding machines. Most of us in these rural areas are agrarians, and our mothers, sisters, and wives need access to grinding machines to process food efficiently.
“Furthermore, I have procured barbing and hair dressing equipment, including clippers, salon dryers, and other necessary accessories.
“The scale is significant. I have already transported four trailers of fertilizer to the site. A single bag of fertilizer costs about ₦35,000, and with additional logistics, it rises to ₦40,000. Each trailer contains about 600 bags, bringing the total cost to approximately ₦32 million per trailer. With four trailers, that alone amounts to about ₦128 million.
“Additionally, each of the 300 water pumps costs around ₦180,000. When multiplied by 300, the total cost is substantial. The industrial grinding machines cost between ₦1.1 million and ₦1.65 million each. With over 100 of them, the figures add up quickly. When transportation and other logistics are factored in, the overall cost of this intervention exceeds ₦1 billion,” he said.
Plang said he has more programmes lined up, including the provision of 10 motorized solar boreholes across the local government.
“Since I live among my people, interact with them and know where it pinches the most, I do this empowerment programme often.
“I also recognize that even a small intervention in the right area can make a significant difference in their lives,” he added.