Business
Diversify Nigerian Economy Through Agric – Youth Leader
The Speaker of Rivers State Youth Leaders Assembly, Hon. Prince Tonye Jeminimiema, has stated the need for diversification of Nigerian economy through agriculture.
Hon. Jeminimiema, who said this while presenting a paper on “Education and Nigeria’s National Security”, recently, in a summit organised by International Entrepreneurs Business Summit (iEBS) in Port Harcourt, said giving attention to agriculture would do the magic of growing the economy.
Jeminimiema, who is also a UN Eminent Peace Ambassador (Amb), stressed the need for government to focus on agriculture to boost the economy.
“Government should focus on agriculture and also give soft loans to unemployed youths.
“Government should also assist them with the necessary farm inputs, monitor the use and ask them to pay half of the loan instalmentally after establishing them.
“There is need to also strengthened university-industry collaboration. This can be done by bringing in experts from the industrial sector to make input in the curriculum in such a way that will reflect the need of the industry”, he said.
Meanwhile, experts in different fields and sectors have attributed the setbacks and dwindling economy of the country to over dependent on oil and its products.
Many noted that agriculture and other resources sustained the country between the 60s and 70s, before the high interest in crude oil exports diverted attention and made other sectors to be neglected to the detriment of the economy.
Agricultural experts have severally stressed the ability of agriculture to restore the Nigerian economy and create enough employment if government decides to do the needful in the sector.
By: Lilian Peters