L-R: Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development Kaduna State, Hajiya Rabi Abdulsalam, Executive Secretary, Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency, Dr Gambo Hamza and Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Tourism Kaduna State, Alhaji Shehu Balarbe, at a news conference on Economic and Investment Summit in Kaduna, recently.

Improved peace and
security situation at the grassroot levels in the country has been viewed as being of vital importance in the success of the Federal Government’s economic diversification from oil to agriculture.
A Port Harcourt-based businessman, Mr Emma Amaechi, made the observation in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt.
Amaechi, who is the Managing Director of Ibekalam Nigeria Limited, said, “one who needs to embark on large-scale agriculture will need cheap land and it is only at the grassroots you can get such vast land.
“But in most grassroots areas across the country, the security situations need to be improved upon to make such heavy investment viable because if the security is bad, it would scare people from doing that”.
Amaechi viewed diversification into agriculture as the best option available to Nigeria with or without oil because of the huge employment opportunities it creates for all levels of people.
“Agriculture can have an opportunity for you whether you have your PhD or even when you could not go to school at all. It is one sector that opens its windows to the greatest number of people in the society”, he said.
The entrepreneur further stated that if desired attention is given to the agricultural sector, there would be enough food for local consumption and export, adding that it was unfortunate that oil diverted the people’s attention away from other viable sectors.
“The steady fall in oil price has impacted negatively on the economy of the country but has also opened our eyes to things we must do right. Agriculture is the way because we have all it takes to turn the attention of the world in terms of agriculture”, he stated.

Chris Oluoh