The senator representing the Kwara Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Saliu Mustapha has advocated for a refocus of the priority of the local government councils in the country to agricultural development.
Mustapha made the call at the grand finale of the 2024 Press Week of the Correspondents Chapel of the Kwara State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He called for constitutional amendments to reassign the core responsibilities of the councils to agriculture, underscoring the vital role the sector could play in revolutionizing the country’s economic development.
Represented by his aide, Barr. Abdulkareem Alabi,Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, stressed that agriculture should no longer be viewed as a secondary issue or left solely to private enterprise.
He called for a nationwide strategy where local governments are constitutionally mandated to focus on agriculture as their primary function.
“Agriculture is the backbone of our economy, and it holds the key to addressing unemployment, food insecurity, and rural development.
“For too long, our local governments have been distracted by peripheral responsibilities. It is time we refocus their energies on what really matters – agriculture and rural developments,” he said.
The lawmaker argued that local government areas, being closer to the grassroots, are in a prime position to facilitate agricultural development and rural transformation, both of which are crucial for food security and economic growth.
Mustapha noted that Nigeria’s reliance on oil revenues has not only left the country vulnerable to global market fluctuations but also stunted the growth of its agricultural sector, which remains the largest employer of labour in the country.
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