Onu Tasks Nigerians On Food Security

The Minister of Science
and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has urged Nigerians to tackle the challenges posed by lack of food security in the country.
The minister gave the charge during a working visit to the stand of Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) at the ongoing 27th Enugu International Trade Fair in Enugu on Friday.
Onu said that huge investment into the nation’s solid minerals sector would help to make Nigeria economically stable.
He said his ministry would be focusing on the use of science and technology to process the nation’s solid minerals so as to increase their value.
Onu said that Nigeria should be able to adequately feed her citizens considering its vast natural resources, especially in the area of agriculture and solid minerals.
He said that as part of plans to increase the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the federal government had initiated plans aimed at making the nation go beyond crude oil production.
Onu said the government would venture into other viable areas such as the solid minerals sector which would reduce the poverty rate among Nigerians.
The minister said his visit was aimed at drawing the attention of investors to the nation’s numerous solid mineral resources.
He said that the council has all the necessary data required for viable investment.
“Our concern in the Ministry of Science and Technology is to make sure that even with our solid minerals; we should not be exporting them in their raw state.
“We should process them to add value to them which will also aid in job creation because you will need a wide range of skilled personnel in such processes.
“When you improve on existing technologies, you are helping people to improve on their productivity and when they do that, they will earn more revenue in the process.
“So science and technology is vital because you need research to improve on high yielding variety of seeds and in preserving and processing them so as to add value to your harvest to ensure you minimise wastage,” he said.
Besides, the minister said that efforts were being made to revitalise the coal industry in the state through the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
Onu said that the nation’s epileptic power supply in the previous years had greatly affected the coal industry in the state.
The State Coordinator of RMRDC, Mrs Chibuzo Abiyeye, said the minister’s visit would encourage the council to live up to expectations.