New Telegraph

Nigeria’ll overcome challenges with youths’ agric empowerment

A Senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District at the Upper Chamber, Opeyemi Bamidele has said that for Nigeria to overcome challenges of unemployment and underdevelopment ravaging especially youths and the vulnerable, consistent focus and attention must be given to agriculture to achieve rapid development in the country. Bamidele spoke at the empowerment program he organized for 250 youths and women in rice and fish farming as well as animal feed production in Ekiti State.

The All Progressives Congress chieftain expressed his readiness to empower the 250 trainees with takeoff funding to start the agric-business that would make them economically independent rather than being job seekers.

The beneficiaries were trained by experts from the Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, Lagos. Speaking at the end of the training in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, Bamidele, represented by his Senior Legislative Assistant, Mr. Bunmi Oguntuase, said his vision was to encourage youth into farming to make them economically relevant. Bamidele said: “Nigerians must look back and read their history very well.

During the time of regional system, Chief Obafemi Awolowo relied on agriculture to fund free education and other laudable projects at that time. “Available statistics showed that over 85 percent of the Nigerian graduates are either unemployed or underemployed.

This is killing and not too good for our future as a nation. “Many Nigerians are still having the nostalgic feelings of the old cocoa period of the south west and the groundnut pyramid of the North.

Those were the good old days when the country’s development’s indices was high and favourable unlike what we are getting now. “Why can’t we encourage our youths .One thing I have noticed over the years is that, our youth don’t hate agriculture, but what was lacking is the encouragement. That was why we have encouraged them with money to start off the business. “Agriculture has gone beyond subsistence level. It has become a veritable source of business that can create employment and wealth.

“The Igbemo brand of rice remains one of the best local delicacies in Nigeria . For this brand to gain national and international recognition, we have to sustain production and encouraging our youths will be of tremendous help in this regard. “The state government under Governor Kayode Fayemi had signed Memoranda of Understanding with DANGOTE and Stallion Group for the establishment of N3.5 billion Rice Mill in Ekiti State.”

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