Business
Commissioner Tasks FG On Agric Sector
The Commissioner representing Bayelsa in the Federal Character Commission, Mr. Bob Ozaka, has stressed the need for the boosting of the agriculture sector to reduce poverty in the country.
Ozaka told newsmen in Abuja last Thursday that agriculture is the bedrock of industrialisation in any given country.
“Poverty, agriculture and education are inter-related; any place there is low educational level, the productivity in the agricultural level will also be low and this can increase poverty in the country.
Ozaka urged the government to improve the agriculture and education sectors to fast track Nigeria’s development process.
“Nigeria is blessed with natural resources and has every machinery to improve agriculture; but everybody is after crude oil and we forget about the major thing that can bring about development in our land.’’
He stressed the need to encourage entrepreneurship and small-scale businesses by setting up factories and industries in the states to boost the national economy.
The commissioner said that maintenance of factories and industries would strengthen the agricultural sector and also provide the enabling environment for job creation.
According to him, sustained support through expanding social protection, long-term investment in education and training, and measures such as subsidies to promote the employment of young people are needed now more than ever.
He, however, urged young people to endeavour to acquire skills that would expand their knowledge and help them to be self-employed.
“I am appealing to every Nigerian to go back to agriculture, that is the only way our country can grow.
“We should improve our agricultural sector by maintaining our factories and industries; it will reduce poverty and unemployment and increase development in our country,’’ Ozaka advised.
“We should improve our agricultural sector by maintaining our factories and industries; it will reduce poverty and unemployment and increase development in our country,’’ Ozaka advised.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.