From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
Leventis Foundation Nigeria has marked 30 years of its Agric Training School, which has provided free education to thousands of Nigerians in the last three decades.
Leventis Foundation owned and sponsored Agric Training School offers one year and short-term free training to students, during which the trainees are fed free and given monthly allowance of N3,000 each. The school which has trained over 5,000 since inception, currently has 102 trainees set to graduate in December 2018.
The Foundation at the occasion to celebrate the school’s 30th anniversary held at its Kaduna State centre, Dogon Dawa in Birnin-Gwari Local government area, said its resolve to venture into giving free agricultural education to Nigerians was borne out of the need to develop Nigeria, through mainstreaming youths into eco-friendly agriculture.
Speaking at the occasion, Principal of the School, Mr. Adebayo Aworeni Awotodunbo, said, the Foundation has identified agriculture as the most important sector of the Nigerian economy in terms of sustainable employment, provision of raw materials for the industry as well as provision of food for the citizenry.
While explaining the interest of the Foundation in giving free agricultural education to Nigerians, especially youths, Awotodunbo said, “for any nation to experience meaningful and desirable development, the most vulnerable and marginalized groups; the youths (male and female) and women must be sustainably mainstreamed into eco-friendly agriculture.
According to him, “Having this understanding, the Late Anastasios George Leventis, a reputable philanthropist of great insight initiated the establishment of Leventis Foundation Nigeria (LFN) 30 years ago in Nigeria, to bridge the gap of youth unemployment, vicious poverty cycle, persistent political thuggery and hooliganism; a product of the insensitivity of the leaders and managers of the Nigerian economy.
Representative of Kaduna State Government at the event, Director of Planning and Evaluation at the Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency, Mr. Danjuma Tyuka commended the Foundation for the meritorious service to the state.
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