The wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has awarded N18.2 million to the winners of the Every Home A Garden Competition in Lagos.
The prizes were given to the participants at the Lagos State House, Alausa, Ikeja, as part of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative under the Agriculture and Food Security Programme, tagged ‘Every Home A Garden Competition.’
In her address at the ceremony, Mrs. Sanwo-Olu, who had shown passion for the initiative, said it must not be nosedive like other Agricultural programmes in the country that are no longer functioning.
She said, “Operation Feed the Nation and others nosedived. This particular one must not be nosedive, so we have a Young Farmers’ Club to catch them young.”
Mrs Nwankwo Adaeze Glory from the Epe Division of Lagos State won a special prize of N1.5 million from Senator Tinubu and N500,000 from the National Agricultural Development Fund, NADFUND.
However, being the overall best in Lagos State, Mrs Sanwo-Olu also gave her N1 million, N2.5 million.
Also, the best gardens in the remaining IBILE divisions of Lagos State went home with N500,000 each.
The winners from each division are Oluwaseun Okoya—Lagos Island, Posu Fabour—Badagry, Onyekwere Ijeoma—Ikeja, and Adedokun Omolayo—Ikorodu.
Also, all 152 participants who made it to the grand finale received N100,000 to encourage more farming in their various homes.
Every Home A Garden is a branch of the Renewed Hope Initiative, which the First Lady of Nigeria introduced. This initiative is meant to attest to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of Nigerian women.
While appreciating the Renewed Hope Initiative by Nigeria’s First Lady, Sanwo-Olu’s wife also expressed gratitude to the Lagos team, the committee members, and all stakeholders who contributed to its success.
She assured the participants of sustaining the programme, saying, “I am pleased to inform you that my office is committed to sustaining this initiative for the benefit of more women and households in Lagos State. Together, we will continue to foster a culture of sustainable home gardening.’’
One of the participants, a retiree named Mrs Morenike Odunsi, said, “I had not been doing anything since my retirement, but when I heard about the programme on the radio, I now keep myself busy with it, and I have even involved my family, like my grandchildren, who also help out in the garden.”