Embrace Agriculture To Exit From Recession: Oil Expert Counsels Nigerians
Agriculture holds the key to the exit of Nigeria from economic recession,Group Executive Director of NNPC, Dr Victor Adeniran has stated.
Speaking as Chairman of the 27th Orin day ceremony in Orin Ekiti in Ekiti state at the weekend, Adeniran said the present downturn in the economy has drawn out the importance of Agriculture in the drive towards our economic revival.
He said despite the fact that oil has provided the mainstay of the economy of Nigeria, over the years,he was bold enough to admit that "the reality today is that we must revive our agriculture if we want to exit from Economic Recession"
Adeniran said it was in realization of this fact that the NNPC was planing to invest heavily into the cultivation of Jathropha , a plant that has a lot of value for production of biofuels, as an alternative to fossil fuels.This investment apart from boosting employment generation,with catalyse agricultural linkage with oil and gas which is desirable for economic growth. He called on agricultural based communities,like Orin to realize its potentials in the scheme of things and be prepared to harness the renewed focus on agriculture.
He called for the revival of the Orin Ekiti farm settlement scheme and other farm settlements created by late Chief Obafemi Awolowo to make them the pivot of youth empowerment in this period of recession.
Said he: "Farmers and those who add value to farm produce, are the ones who can benefit from the current Foreign Exchange regime.Our youths should be encouraged to embrace this Agric initiative as a way to solve the unemployment quagmire that stare us in the face ".
Also speaking a former Special Adviser to President on Energy Matters, Prof Anthony Adegbulugbe, lamented the dying love for education among the youths in the country.
Adegbulugbe said our communities must return to the good old days of investing in education of their citizens which he said led to the large number of professors and professionals in Ondo and Ekiti states presently
According to him:"Communities in those days,gave their brilliant indigenes scholarship.The communal self help spirit of those times, resulted in the large number of Professors and professionals in different fields that we have today"
The educationist said there was the need to re awaken the spirit of love for education in our youth of today, for the sake of our future adding that "an uneducated generation is a threat to its own survival"
He recommend that part of the funds generated at the day's ceremony should be used to support the education of indigenes of this community.