Investing in the Future: First Lady of Adamawa State Empowers Over 500 Women, Youths, and Students Through Agriculture
Yola, Adamawa State- May 22, 2025
More than 500 women, young people, and students across Adamawa State have received agricultural support items as part of a far-reaching empowerment initiative championed by the First Lady, Her Excellency Hajiya Lami Ahmadu Fintiri.
Beneficiaries were drawn from all 21 Local Government Areas and 31 secondary schools across the state.
Speaking at the event, Her Excellency called for the revival of school gardening programmes—once a cherished tradition in Nigeria’s education system that instilled values of responsibility, sustainability, and self-sufficiency in children.
“We must actively involve our women, youth, and students. Agriculture is not only a profession—it is a way of life. It teaches discipline, offers dignity, and has the power to transform our economy,” she said.
She praised the vision of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, First Lady of Nigeria, whose Agricultural Support Programme under the Renewed Hope Initiative (ASP-RHI) provided the framework for the project. Her Excellency described the initiative as timely, strategic, and life-changing, with the potential to build a generation of nation-builders.
“When we teach our children to farm, we are teaching them patience, hard work, and self-reliance,” she said. Through the newly introduced Young Farmers Clubs in junior secondary schools, she said, students would begin to view farming as a meaningful and respected career.
Turning to the students in attendance, Her Excellency described them as the heartbeat of the initiative. “With each seed you plant, you are planting the future of this nation,” she told them warmly.
She also acknowledged the strength of Adamawa women—mothers, farmers, entrepreneurs—and emphasized that empowering them strengthens entire communities. “Food security, economic stability, and rural transformation all begin with women,” she added.
Her Excellency expressed deep gratitude to Senator Tinubu for her unwavering commitment to youth and women empowerment, and thanked the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for its guidance. She also appreciated the State Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for taking the programme to every part of the state.
She assured stakeholders that Adamawa State is fully committed to the programme’s success and will mobilize schools, communities, and traditional institutions to support its implementation.
“Empower women. Engage the youth. Sow a vision in our children,” she said. “That is how we build a richer, greener Nigeria.”
The State Ministry of Agriculture delivered practical lectures on the role of agriculture in development. Alhaji Musa Mohammed, a senior school principal who spoke on behalf of the 31 participating schools, thanked the organisers and pledged full commitment to sustaining the Young Farmers Clubs. Highlights of the event included: Distribution of empowerment items by Hajiya Lami Ahmadu Fintiri, Cultural performances celebrating the theme of agriculture.
Items distributed: Fertilizer and ₦50,000 cash grants, Fingerlings for fish farming, Water pumps, goats, and chicks for animal husbandry, Grinding machines for women entrepreneurs, Seeds, hoes, wheelbarrows, uniforms for school clubs, and financial support for schools
Among the dignitaries present were Hon. Neido G. Kofulto (Commissioner for Women Affairs), Mrs. Hiedi Edgar Sunday Amos (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture), Mr. Birdan Kemuel (Executive Secretary, Post Primary Schools Management Board), and wives of Local Government Chairmen, among others.
Through this initiative, Her Excellency is not only promoting agriculture—she is cultivating a new mindset, nurturing the land and the people alike, and sowing seeds of hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Ishaya Bitrus
Senior Special Assistant on Media to the First Lady, Adamawa State
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