According to them, the objectives of the programme which include empowering youths and women in the state have been dashed and punctured by lies and propaganda.
An agricultural programme aimed at raising agribusiness managers and reducing hunger in Lagos has been abandoned, some of the scheme’s beneficiaries have said.
According to them, the objectives of the programme which include empowering youths and women in the state have been dashed and punctured by lies and propaganda.
It was learnt that the programme was revived through the Ministry of Agriculture with funding from the state government.
But the beneficiaries alleged that the promise to provide loans and certifications from the institute was not fulfilled.
One of the beneficiaries who spoke to SaharaReporters expressed disappointment with the way the scheme was allowed to collapse.
“Lagos State has been known as the pacesetter and foremost state in human and infrastructural development, project delivery and new concepts and sustainable development.
“Indeed, the programme projects to support and empower the youths and women in Lagos State but this hope has been dashed and punctured with lies and propaganda.
“The programme has failed flatly to meet up with its promises and benefits. Beneficiaries feel disappointed and cheated to see the lecturers using them to achieve their own personal projects in the institute,” the beneficiary said.
“All benefits attached to the programme have not been fulfilled, although there was one month-camping on the campus with rigorous training in various training opportunities like pig farming, fish farming, and poultry.
“One of the packages of the programme is to place participants on internship placement, access to loans, EDI (Entrepreneurship Development Institute) training and a certificate from the institute.
“After a year of training, nothing has been done; no internship placement, no loan accessibility and no certificate of participation. Various participants have been lured and lied to so they can join the programme again. My set was the 9th set and now we have the 14th set but no one has been attended to all this while,” another beneficiary said.
According to the beneficiaries, there are lots of fraudulent activities involved in the scheme hence its failure.
“We call on the Lagos State Government to kindly look into the fraud going on through this programme from the Ministry of Agriculture.
“Many youths have seen this as a way to move out of the jobless category, many of us are married, we left everything and paid attention to this programme. In fact, we took an examination and worked hard to see a better life.
“We call our amiable governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to kindly put a stop to the ongoing admission and scrutinize the activities going with this programme,” one of the sources said.