No fewer than 837 youths in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have received agricultural training under the Seyi Tinubu Operation Back to Agriculture Initiative (SOBAI), aimed at equipping them with skills to establish farms, create jobs and contribute to food security.
The beneficiaries who completed their training at the initiative’s Kubwa centre in Abuja are now awaiting empowerment support to enable them to establish their own agricultural businesses.
The National Coordinator of SOBAI, Emmanuel Bidi, disclosed this during the training and induction ceremony, saying the initiative was designed to help young people achieve financial independence through agriculture.
He said the programme went beyond skills acquisition by seeking to support beneficiaries to build sustainable businesses that could generate employment and boost food production.
Bidi disclosed that SOBAI, in partnership with Praise Agrovet, had trained and empowered 64,734 youths across the FCT, Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi, Benue and Kano states since its inception.
He said the training covered various agricultural value chains, including poultry production, fish farming and goat rearing.
According to him, the initiative plans to establish and activate 34 training centres with programmes accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), targeting 20 million Nigerian youths by 2030.
He added that the organisation intended to sustain free agricultural training quarterly nationwide and establish farms across the 36 states to serve as centres for research, training and industrial attachment, including for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Bidi called on government agencies, private-sector organisations, community leaders and youth groups to support agricultural education and entrepreneurship, saying access to practical training and start-up support would help young people turn their skills into sustainable livelihoods.
He also stressed the importance of quality animal feed, veterinary products and competent personnel in improving livestock health and farm productivity.
The coordinator further announced that the initiative was targeting five million votes for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 through youth engagement and grassroots mobilisation in collaboration with the City Boy Movement and other support groups.
He clarified that the figure was a mobilisation target rather than a guaranteed electoral outcome, noting that voting remained the personal choice of eligible citizens and that the initiative’s empowerment programmes would be conducted in line with applicable laws.
Bidi said the programme’s long-term success would depend on effective implementation, transparent administration and partnerships that would help beneficiaries establish viable agricultural businesses.