The founder and Executive Director of Mzehemen U Tiv Foundation (MUTF), Prof. Kohol Shadrach Iornem, Senior Lecturer at Regent College London, has donated dozens of oil palm seedlings to 20 schools in Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency.
Prof. Kohol was at the Benue Alia Palm Project (BAPP) Nursery, Makurdi, on Tuesday, August 19, when he was moved by the apparent impact of the project, and paid for the seedlings to be distributed to schools in his federal constituency as part of his contributions for improving their internal revenue earnings.
The MUTF founder commended Fr. Hyacinth Alia, Executive Governor of Benue State, for subsidising the prices of the seedlings, saying it will help even the poor to acquire them, plant and improve their economic fortunes.
Sir Alex Addingi, Special Adviser to the Governor on International Investments, who has been championing the oil palm campaign on behalf of the Governor, said Prof. Kohol has done what the Governor expects of Benue sons and daughters in the diaspora: investing in their local communities in the overall interest of the state.
He explained that in no distant time, the beneficiary schools will begin to reap the benefits of the gesture by Prof. Kohol when they begin to harvest oil palms, saying it will also help the students of such schools acquire skills in crafts making.
Prof. Kohol indicated that MUTF staff will contact the beneficiary schools for onward collection.
Oil palms have more than 10 by-products, with Sir Addingi describing the tree crop as “Black Gold.”
