Engr. (Dr.) Sani Abiodun, National Project Coordinator (NPC) of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), has urged the 630 new LIFE-ND incubatees not to see their selection as national cake.
Abiodun, who disclosed this on Monday in Calabar during a One-Day Orientation Session of the FGN/NDDC/IFAD-assisted (LIFE-ND) Project under the additional financing programme, said they should see their selection as a life-changing opportunity.
Represented by Dr. Chinwe Onyegbula, Liaison Officer of FGN/IFAD Country Programme Advisory Team, Abuja, charged the new incubatees to be committed and disciplined if they must succeed.
He reminded them that success in agribusiness takes time, patience, and consistency in developing sustainable enterprises, adding that every business has an incubation period.
“We want you to see agriculture as a business, not subsistence farming; produce to sell, improve productivity, and grow your local economy,” he added.
On his part, Mr. Johnson Ebokpo, Cross River’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, who declared the orientation open, encouraged the incubatees to change their perception of agriculture as a dirty job and to embrace it as a profitable venture.
He likened the Life-ND incubation model to the Igbo apprenticeship system, where learners eventually become business owners through mentorship and practical experience.
Ebokpo announced a ₦500,000 prize for the best-performing incubatee to promote excellence and motivate participants toward outstanding agribusiness performance.
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