9th February, 2022
The Oyo state government has approved $1.7 Million for the second phase of the Start Them Early Programme (STEP).
The programme is an initiative to encourage and redirect the aspirations of young secondary school children in the state to Agribusiness.
It is being done in collaboration with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun told newsmen in Ibadan on Tuesday that the fund will cover six additional secondary schools across six Federal Constituencies.
The first batch equally targeted six 6 secondary schools.
The $1.7m will be paid to the IITA in three tranches, Olatubosun said.
According to him, $680,000 will be paid as first tranche on 1st February, 2022.
The second tranche will be paid on 1st July, 2022 and it will be a payment of $578,000.
The third tranche will be paid in November 2022, and it will be $442,000.
“The three tranches make a sum of $1.7m. We believe we should spread the programme across the 14 federal constituencies in the state.”
The state’s Commissioner for Lands, Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulraheem, was also at the press conference.