Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo on Monday launched the “Zero Hunger Agricultural Empowerment Programme” for the distribution of crop seedlings to 1,000 households across the state.
Uzodimma said the distribution, which took place in Owerri in partnership with the Young Professionals for Tinubu (YP4T), was designed to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.
He said the objective was to mitigate the current national economic challenges.
He also said that while the Federal Government’s economic reforms include palliatives, sustainable national growth requires citizens to transition from receiving relief items to active food production.
“There is no way Nigeria will move if we don’t grow what we eat and eat what we grow,” Uzodimma said.
He therefore urged civil servants and residents to establish domestic vegetable gardens to cushion high food costs, drawing comparisons to traditional household farming practices.
“Growing up, my mother never went to any market to buy vegetables; she would harvest directly behind the house,” he recalled.
He praised President Bola Tinubu’s economic vision, saying that empowering households with seedlings fosters self-reliance and sustainable local prosperity.
He charged the 1,000 pilot beneficiaries to commence planting immediately, promising that the State Government would expand the programme to cover 10,000 families subsequently.
“All the beneficiaries must plant these seeds near their homes to harvest within months,” Uzodimma said.
He affirmed the State Government’s support for federal development initiatives, assuring citizens that strategic state investments would deliver long-term economic stability.
Speaking earlier, the Special Adviser to Uzodimma on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mrs Chinenye Owuamalam, thanked the president and the governor for supporting initiatives that address core household needs.
Owuamalam said the distribution of agricultural inputs to 1,000 families directly advances SDG 2, which aims to achieve zero hunger and ensure year-round food security.
“This initiative is a practical reflection of interventions translating broader policy aspirations into tangible benefits at the household level,” she said.
According to her, development must remain strictly people-centred.
She said the governor’s insistence on equal gender representation among the beneficiaries advances SDG 5 on gender equality, empowering women to strengthen household economic resilience.
Highlighting the role of multi-sector collaboration under SDG 17, Owuamalam thanked YP4T for supplementing input distribution with technical training and follow-up support.
A beneficiary, Mr Obinna Nshirim from Orlu LGA, expressed appreciation to the State Government and the organisers for prioritising local agricultural productivity and job creation.
“From this empowerment today, beneficiaries can go forth and be happy in agriculture.
“You have created jobs for youths and ensured food security for homes,” Nshirim said.
Also, Mrs Bridget Onwusonye from Ehime Mbano LGA commended the initiative, saying that the seeds and inputs provided would significantly alleviate household feeding expenses across rural communities.
