Make Agric Attractive to Nigerian Youths, Adeniyi Urges Stakeholders

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

The Chairman, Editorial Board of THISDAY Newspapers, Olusegun Adeniyi, has called on professional marketers in Nigeria to package agriculture as “sexy” in order to make it attractive to Nigerian youths.

He said such move would pull the youths into participation just like the creative industry like Nollywood.

Adeyini, a former presidential spokesman, stated this yesterday in Port Harcourt at the Annual Marketing Conference and Dinner of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN).

He noted that agriculture remains the biggest non-oil sector window to advance the country’s economy, saying it was imperative to get the youths involved by making the sector attractive to young people.

In his keynote address on ‘Marketing Nigeria’s non-oil sector for sustainable growth and development’, Adeniyi noted that although Nollywood has been reputed as the second largest employer of labour in Nigeria currently, its growth potential cannot match that of agriculture.

On how NIMN could help change the hearts and minds of the majority unwilling youths to embrace agriculture, he said: “The challenge is two-fold. One is how can you as professionals make agriculture ‘sexy’ to attract our young people?

“Secondly, how do you help to sell their products both at home and abroad? From all available figures, the main non-oil exports are dominated by agricultural commodities with a modest resurgence in minerals.

“For instance, between 2017 and 2018 the value of exports in the cocoa sector increased by 33 per cent to US$317.5 million annually, while within the same period, the value of exports of oil seeds (sesame) increased by 52 per cent to US$274.5 million.

“Figures from Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) first quarter of 2018 revealed earnings of N26.65billion from sesame seeds; N6.03billion from cocoa beans; N23.93billion from fermented cocoa beans; N5.03billion from cashew nuts and N3.45billion from soya beans. Fish, prawns and shrimps also fetched modest money as did plants, flower buds and cotton among others.”

Earlier, the President of NIMN, Tony Agenmonmen, lamented that Nigerian stakeholders always express concern for development of the non-oil sector only when crude oil prices are down.

NIMN boss said: “As soon as oil prices start rising again, we go back to our old ways of dependence on the single product called crude oil. Just like how that Stone Age ended not because there were no more stones, oil age will also end pretty soon and it won’t be because there is no more oil.

“Today, the world is going to non-oil energy sources. The future is here. Continuing to depend on oil is like being on a slippery slope. Therefore, the theme of this conference is very germane. In the end, we would have some actionable recommendations that are time-bound. We shall present same to the government.”