Agric Devt: Clergy Tasks FG on Enabling Environment

Gilbert Ekugbe

The president, Oasis of Breakthrough International Church Inc, Apostle Israel Oyelade, has called on the federal government to provide the necessary infrastructure and support to the nation’s agricultural sector.

Oyelade said that the call is coming on the heels of the high level of hunger in the country, explaining that Nigeria has all it takes to meet its food needs.

Speaking on the sidelines of a community welfare service aimed at providing relief items to the poor and widows in the Ifo Community and environs that is organised by his church on an annual basis, he pointed out the greatest challenge hindering agricultural development is the lack of a conducive environment for the sector to thrive.

“There has to be an enabling environment for farming to thrive. Businesses need not wait on the government to provide basic amenities and find ways to work round the readily made infrastructure provided,” he urged.

Meanwhile, he said that the church started the free feeding initiative to alleviate the high level of hunger in the country, saying that tackling hunger cannot be solved by the government alone.

“We started in 2010 when I clocked 40. We started with widows, ministering to widows, giving them foodstuffs, clothing annually.

“The issue of hunger can never be solved by any government. We must pray that God helps us to overcome poverty. Thinking the government would eradicate poverty one day is a mirage.

“God that we are serving created the rich and the poor why didn’t he make everyone rich, so if he did not make everybody rich, why do we think the federal government can make everybody rich,” he added.