A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Fatoba Olusola Steve, has called on state governments to invest heavily in agriculture to get the youths engaged and take them off the streets as a way out of the hardship and insecurity in the country.
The Chairman, House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values stated this during a chat with the newsmen in Ado Ekiti.
Fatoba, who is representing Ado Ekiti- Irepodun/Ifelodun Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 1, blamed food shortages on the insecurity in some parts of the country.
The federal lawmaker posited that the nation was not supposed to be struggling to feed its people because God has blessed the country in terms of geographical location, good weather, arable lands.
“Nigeria should be able to feed her population. There is a popular Yoruba adage that says ‘When hunger being a major part of poverty is addressed, the challenge of poverty in itself is solved’.
“Some countries that don’t have the kind of the fertile soil we have here are feeding themselves with their agricultural produce and have enough to export to earn foreign exchange.
“Even a country like Ukraine despite being in war with Russia is still exporting wheat. We too can grow with in Nigeria, there is no crop that cannot grow on our soil. But it all depend on the willingness on the part of the people and the government.
“State government most especially should see agriculture or farming as a serious business by so doing, they will be able to invest heavily agric sector.”
