SOBAI trains 837 youths in Abuja, sets 20 million target by 2030
- The Seyi Tinubu Operation Back to Agriculture Initiative trained 837 of 1,121 registered students at its Kubwa centre in Abuja.
- Coordinator Emmanuel Bidi said 64,734 youths have been trained with Praise Agrovet across six states since inception.
- The group also announced a target of mobilising five million votes for President Tinubu in 2027, calling it a goal, not a guarantee.
Eight hundred and thirty-seven young people have completed agricultural training at the Kubwa centre of the Seyi Tinubu Operation Back to Agriculture Initiative (SOBAI) in the Federal Capital Territory, the group said at an induction ceremony in Abuja.
According to SOBAI's National Coordinator, Emmanuel Bidi, 1,121 people registered for the Abuja programme and 837 finished it. The graduates are now waiting for support to set up their own farms and agribusinesses.
Bidi said the aim is not just to teach skills but to help people build businesses that can employ others and add to the country's food supply. The training covered poultry, fish farming, goat rearing and other parts of the agricultural chain.
He said SOBAI, working with Praise Agrovet, has trained and empowered 64,734 young people since it began, across the FCT, Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi, Benue and Kano states.
Big plans, and a political target
The group wants to set up 34 training centres with courses accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). It says it hopes to reach 20 million Nigerian youths by 2030.
It also plans free training every quarter and branded farms in all 36 states, which would serve as research, training and industrial attachment sites, including for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Bidi stressed that good animal feed, veterinary products and skilled workers are needed to keep livestock healthy and farms productive.
At the same event, he announced that SOBAI is targeting five million votes for President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027. He said the group would use its youth networks and grassroots reach, alongside the City Boy Movement and other support groups, to mobilise support.
He was careful to add that the five million figure is a mobilisation goal, not a guaranteed result, and that voting remains each citizen's personal choice. He said the group's programmes would be run according to the law.
Bidi asked government agencies, private investors, community leaders and youth groups to back agricultural training, and urged young Nigerians to see farming as a route to jobs and income.
He said SOBAI's success will depend on how well it delivers, how transparently it is run, and on partnerships and lawful political activity.
What happens next
The 837 graduates now wait for the empowerment support the group promised. Whether the training centres, state farms and the 20 million target are delivered will be the real test of the plan.
