THESHIELD Garkuwa
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From time immemorial, poverty has always existed globally, among communities and indiviuals.The socioeconomic phenomenon is as old as the world itself. The most important issue worthy of stressing here are the bold efforts with the malaise.
To this effect, governments at all levels, affluent individuals and groups have always made efforts to alleviate poverty among the people. One of such renowned groups is “RURCON”. It is an acronym for “Rural Development Counsellors for Christian Churches in Nigeria”.
RURCON is an internationally recognized Faith-based Organization working round the clock to better the lives of the indigent citizens of Nigeria. It has been doing this great, God-sent job for close to six (6) decades. Notably, it has been very diligent in discharging its responsibilities.
The organization is certainly being led by a pack of pious and committed citizens, with a motherly and Godly personality, Mrs Dinatu Ayinzat holding sway as its Executive Director, indefatigably assisted by another pious Mother, Mrs Florence Uwamhenmhen, Director of Administration and Logistics, aka ‘Mama RURCON’.
Happily, Tuesday, Oct.29,2024 will remain epochal in the minds of some indigents in Kaduna State as it was on that epochal day that RURCON extended its widow’s mite to them.
It was the day that RURCON doled out a whopping N12.5million as grants to no fewer than 25 successful Cooperative Groups to bolster their economic activities.
The benefitting groups, each with twenty members were given N500,000. That was indeed just tranche of the noble gesture by the legendary organization that winds up in July 2025.
The visibly elated beneficiaries were meticulously selected from Makarfi, Soba and Ikara LGAs of Kaduna State.
Speaking, the Executive Director of RURCON, Mrs Dinatu Ayinzat stated that the gesture would help to reduce poverty, unemployment and strengthen food security.
She said that the initiative was conducted with support from partners like Bread for the World, Germany, towards strengthening food security and poverty eradication. Ayinzat added that the initiative was aimed at sustaining the gains of the training and support programmes to the groups on modern agronomic practices, animal husbandry and marketing of Agricultural produce.
According to the Executive Director, each of the 25 Cooperative groups received N500,000 as stipends to boost their agricultural businesses.
She said, “The gesture is invaluable. What matters here is quality and not quantity. According to her, only groups that have registered and opened corporate bank accounts will receive their grants to ensure transparency and accountability.
Mrs Ayinzat, therefore,appealed to affluent Nigerians to assist their less-privileged brothers and sisters across the country, saying, “if you are rich, it’s not only for you, for it is for the common good of all ”
She recalled that RURCON had in October 2022 donated 40 water pumps to 20 Cooperative groups in Makarfi and Soba LGAs to boost food production and guarantee food security.
Earlier, Mr Iliya Meshach Njese, acting Food Security Project Officer, RURCON, reiterated that the initiative was aimed at providing the targeted groups with finance to strengthen their agri-businesses. He added that each group has over 20 members, therefore, the money would reach about 500 beneficiaries from the rural communities of the three LGAs.
Meshach Njese said the money would be deposited into the cooperative accounts towards enhancing accountability. He, therefore, tasked the beneficiaries to ensure effective and judicious use of the money as there would be a routine monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure sustainability of the programme.
While presenting a keynote address, Dr Yusuf Shehu of the Department of Soil Science, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, said the grants were not a ‘National cake’.He explained that initiative was designed to complement the government’s efforts in reducing poverty. He, therefore, tasked the groups’ leaders on honesty and transparency.
Mr Nuhu Yohanna, a beneficiary, from Unguwar Danladi-Ricifa, Soba LGA commended RURCON for the initiative on behalf of all beneficiaries.He reiterated that the faith-based group has trained them on several modern agronomic practices, animal husbandry and supported them on wet and dry season farming.
He said, “Youths and women groups are now being empowered with funds for business and described the initiative as highly commendable.and appeal to other NGOs to replicate the initiative.”
Also speaking, Mama RURCON urged fairness and justice in the distribution of the grants among the members of the benefiting groups. She warned against greed and selfishness.
“In RURCON, when we see people are happy, we are happy. The funds should not be misused. The money should not be used for social purposes but it should be used for the common good of all. Together we grow, divided, we fail,”she averred.
Meanwhile, in its bid to bolster peace and security across the country, RURCON has included a component of conflict resolution in the food security project. As a result of the training on conflict resolution beneficiaries from Makarfi LGA facilitated peace building meeting (Dialogue Forum Formation) on the 29th of October 2024 at Maigadi village, Makarfi LGA of Kaduna State.The conflict resolution and peace building mechanism deployed by the faith-based NGO in Ikara, Soba and Makarfi Local Government Areas of Kaduna State has enhanced herder-farmer relationship and reduced ethno-religious disharmony in the area.
Mrs Dinatu Ayinzat, Executive Director of the NGO, Rural Development Counsellors for Christian Churches in Africa (RURCON), again said that the conflict resolution component of the project came up due to its importance to the NGO’s food security project.
“We discovered that insecurity was impeding the food security project. We then incorporated it into our project for the people to understand how to live at peace with each other.
“When we started the food security project, everybody was on his own but we are happy today, Muslims, Christians, farmers and herders are here wining and dining together Ayinzat said.
She also disclosed plans by RURCON to boost the provision go healthcare in parts of the state via a partnerahip with some foreign donors. The Executive Director said that to that effect, one clinic each is being built in Lere and Zangon Kataf LGAs.
Barr. Solomon Musa, a legal consultant from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria said the initiative was a proactive measure to prevent crisis, stressing, ”you cannot wait for insecurity to happen before you take action.”
Musa added RURCON went to communities in Makarfi, Ikara and Soba LGAs to teach conflict resolution and peace building.He said, ”This is to serve as a prevention mechanism against banditry and insecurity and it has yielded commendable results.”
Mrs Hauwa Ibrahim-Sabo, a resident of Maigaidi community in Makarfi LGA, reiterated that the initiative by RURCON has beefed harmonious relationships between farmers and herders in the area, thereby enhancing their economic activities.
She added that agriculture was the major economic activity of the area; therefore, the community embraced the initiative, which further enhanced ethno-religious harmony in the many communities around the area.
“In 2023, we took RURCON to some Fulani settlements in the local government; the communities were engaged in the need for sustainable peace between the farmers and herders.
“At the end of it, a symbiotic relationship was developed between the two groups and they also agreed to adopt Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) instead of litigation in the event of any misunderstanding.
“The herders support farmers with manure during wet season farming while the farmers through RURCON support the herders with improved seeds,’’ she said.
Similarly, Ibrahim Magaji, the Village Head of Maigadi community said most of the communities around their area had imbibed the gesture of peace especially the farmers and herders.
He also appealed to the government to augment the initiative by RURCON by replicating the initiative across the state to stem the tide of insecurity..
Indeed, it is now evidently clear that RURCON has been helping to roundly combat poverty and unemployment as well as their attendant unpalatable consequences in Kaduna State.
It is also doing its best to foster harmonouus coexistence among the diverse communities in the state irrespective of religious, ethnic, political or cultural affinities.
Mani is a journalist based in Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria, West Africa.
