NAN-AE-9
Youths
By Yinusa Ishola
Omu-Aran (Kwara) Sept. 22, 2016 (NAN) The traditional ruler of Egosi in Oke-Ero Local Government Area, Kwara, Oba Daniel Dada, has urged governments to increase funding of agriculture and make it more attractive to youths.
Dada, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Egosi on Thursday, urged government at all levels to boost agricultural mechanisation.
The monarch said that involvement of youths in all categories of agricultural practices would assist to secure the nation’s growth and economic diversification.
Dada, the Elegosi of Egosi kingdom, said that Nigerian youths have formidable roles to play in the government’s efforts to diversify the nation’s economy from oil to agriculture based.
According to the monarch, transforming agriculture requires a collective responsibility of all stakeholders to achieve success.
He stressed the need for re-ordering of priorities by the federal, state and local governments to adequately tackle the nation’s food insufficiency challenges.
Dada suggested a well coordinated national policy on agriculture to be embrace by all tiers government to develop the sector.
He decried the situation whereby most of the youth empowerment initiatives are concentrated on distribution of motorcycles, grinding machines with less regard for agriculture at the grassroots.
Dada criticised the influx of many youths into commercial motorcycle business, saying such could be a stumbling block to governments’ developmental efforts.
“Government needs to make agriculture attractive, especially with the availability of credit facility and farm inputs to the youth.
“There is the need to refocus the minds of the youths from ‘get-rich-quick’ syndrome for them to embrace agriculture as a trade and vocations
“Other farming inputs to promote agriculture mechanisation should be highly subsidised,” he said.
The royal father also identified lack of continuity in government’s policies as a major factor hindering successful implementation of past laudable agriculture initiatives.
“It seems there is lack of coordination or working relationship among all tiers of government as far as agriculture development is concerned,” the monarch said.
He mentioned the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) initiative of the past administration aimed at registering 20 million farmers nationwide as deserving replication by states and local government areas.
“There is need for state Ministries of Agriculture to work in tandem with their federal counterparts in the areas of research, documentation and development.
“Same goes for the local government areas, agriculture institution and centres spread across the country.
“By so doing our efforts in making agriculture a veritable alternative to boost the nation’s economy would be achieved,” he said. (NAN)
ISHO/FF/AFA
Edited by Fela Fashoro /Felix Ajide
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