As the world mourns and groan under the pressure of the novel corona virus pandemic otherwise known as COVID-19, there comes a glimmer of cheer from a Reality TV Project – Naija Farmer Reality TV Show – jointly promoted by NTA-StarTimes; Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU), Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD); Other Federal MDA’s; Bank of Agriculture (BOA); Progressive Governors Forum; & World Bank’s Appeals Project, among others, to restore HOPE and JOY to the streets of Nigeria.
Announcing the commencement date for registration of potential contestants/participants today in a well attended press briefing in Abuja, the CEO of the project Dr. Chigbo Okoli said Nigerian youths – males and females aged between 18 and 35 years with minimum of OND and above – should troop out en mass from May 31st 2020 to register online at www.naijafarmer.org; or at any Branch of Bank of Agriculture; EcoBank; or NTA-Star/StarTimes offices nation-wide.
He informed the audience that over N60million will be won in prizes but that this Reality TV show is quite unique, as it is not just about the prize money but the youth empowerment content; which entails that all participants will be transformed from “unemployed to Agribusiness owners/employers of labour” within 90 days. Dr. Okoli also stated that instead of the usual about 20 participants, Naija farmer show will have 190 participants; all of whom are guaranteed to become business owners in Agric value chain – trained, mentored and funded by the show; while offering first class family entertainment that will also promote our African cultural heritage and good moral standards.
The show when started will dominate Nigeria and Africa’s social space as it is planned to have Special Guest Appearances by the biggest stars in Music, Comedy and Nollywood; as well as political and business leaders starting from present and past Presidents/Vice Presidents of Nigeria, Governors, Ministers, National Assembly members, CEO’s of AfDB, CBN, World Bank Group, Banks, BOA, Dangote Group, etc. These will enrich participants’ experience and help turn them to super celebrities; in addition to the economic empowerment.
He added that once established, a new set of 25 applicants will be selected from the pool of applicants that were not initially taken, and attached to each of the 190 new Agripreneurs to undergo apprenticeship taking the number of participants to 4,940 (i.e. 190 + (25×190)). And these loop-process will continue until over a million Agripreneurs are created; and over a trillion Naira in economic activities are generated at the bottom of economic pyramid in Nigeria.
Dr. Chigbo Okoli further announced that the theme of this maiden edition is “HOPE4NAIJA”, while the second edition will be “JOY4NAIJA”, arguing that the project intends to start by spreading a message of HOPE and returning OPPORTUNITY back to the streets of Nigeria for the ordinary Nigerian who knows nobody; and that by the second edition we shall be celebrating JOY in the new found Nigeria where prosperity thrives. He enjoined all Nigerians of goodwill to join hands with us to build a new prosperous, equitable and egalitarian Nigerian society. Adding that a 24 hours dedicated TV channel for the show will soon open on StarTimes Bouquet; advising every Nigerian and African that does not have STARTIMES DECODER to quickly acquire one as something really special is about to start there.
The advert materials promoting the commencement date was officially launched by the Chairman of TV Production & Publicity Committee Alhaji (Dr) kabir Garba-Tsanni (National President RATTAWU) who urged Nigerian youths across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria to embrace the project and take advantage of this opportunity to “reclaim the years the locust have eaten” and also to recover from the negative effect of COVID-19 on our economy. He encouraged them not to be discouraged by the millions of youths that will be registering for the project, assuring them that the project was designed to accommodate the large numbers, adding that there can only be slight delay for some people, but ultimately everybody that registered will benefit.
