The Enugu State Government has approved the distribution of free farm inputs to 63,000 registered smallholder farmers across the state as part of efforts to increase food production, reduce farming costs, and improve rural livelihoods during the current planting season.
The decision formed part of resolutions reached at the State Executive Council meeting held in Enugu, where the government also approved the recruitment of 4,698 additional teachers for its Smart Green Schools and ordered the immediate reactivation of Ebola isolation centres as a precautionary health measure.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Dr. Patrick Ubru, said the Enugu farm inputs programme has been significantly expanded compared to the previous year. According to him, about 40,000 farmers benefited from the intervention in 2025, while the current phase will reach 63,000 smallholder farmers.
The intervention includes the free distribution of: Fertilisers, agrochemicals, rice seeds, maize seeds, pepper seeds, tomato seeds
Ubru explained that the programme is designed to reduce production costs, improve harvests and increase farmers’ incomes. He added that only duly registered and verifiable farmers whose farmlands have been documented will qualify for the intervention to ensure transparency and proper monitoring.
Governor Peter Mbah is expected to officially launch the distribution exercise on Tuesday, July 21, after which supplies will be distributed across the state’s 260 political wards under close supervision.
The Executive Council also approved the employment of 4,698 additional teachers to strengthen teaching capacity across the state’s 267 Smart Green Schools. Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, said the recruitment is aimed at maintaining uniform education standards across all Smart Green Schools using the model already established at the Owo Campus. He also announced plans to further strengthen the Centre for Experiential Learning and Innovation (CELI) at the Enugu State College of Education (Technical).
According to him, the centre will provide continuous teacher training while supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and the commercialisation of creative ideas developed by young people in the state He explained that the initiative is intended to ensure teachers are equipped with practical teaching methods that promote skills acquisition alongside academic learning.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, disclosed that the state government has directed the immediate reactivation of all isolation centres established during the COVID-19 pandemic following the reported Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and parts of Uganda. He said the proactive measure is necessary because Enugu now serves as an international gateway with direct international flights, making preparedness essential. Ugwu noted that the government intends to ensure the state is fully prepared for any potential public health emergency.
The Executive Council also approved accelerated completion of ongoing expansion projects at major state-owned health facilities before the end of the year.
Among the projects receiving priority attention are: the new high-rise buildings at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (Park Lane), the teaching hospital at the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS), Igbo-Eno, the Enugu International Hospital, which government officials said is expected to be commissioned within the next few weeks.
The state government said the latest approvals reflect its commitment to sustaining development across agriculture, education and healthcare while continuing to deliver governance programmes throughout the political season.
