Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has stated that agriculture remains the most sustainable pathway to Nigeria’s economic growth, adding that it will also help resolve the challenges of unemployment, food insecurity, and poverty.
According to the Governor, this accounts for his administration’s deliberate policy of utilising agriculture as a tool to eradicate poverty, create employment opportunities, and ensure food security in Ekiti State.
Governor Oyebanji stated these at the weekend while receiving the Consul General of the Netherlands, Michel Deelen and his team in his office in Ado Ekiti.
He said that agriculture remains a core priority of his government, not just as a means of ensuring food sufficiency, but also as a tool for wealth creation and youth empowerment.
The Governor explained that since the inception of his administration, deliberate efforts have been made to reposition the agricultural sector through youth-focused programmes and modern farming initiatives.
He noted that through the state’s “Bring Back Youth Into Agriculture”, over 5,000 young people have been engaged in various aspects of agribusiness.
While commending the Netherlands for its global leadership and expertise in agriculture, the Governor expressed the state’s readiness to collaborate with the European nation to enhance productivity, expressing that such a partnership would further accelerate the state’s agricultural revolution and contribute meaningfully to the state’s overall economic growth.
“I believe strongly that for a people or a country to develop, especially in Nigeria, giving God-given resources, lands and human capital, if we get agric rights, we will solve at least 60 per cent of our problems. We will solve the problem of food insecurity, unemployment, and poverty. We will solve the problem of insecurity itself.
“So when we came into office, I was deliberate about our intervention in the agric sector, and we are one of the few states, I can beat my chest and tell you that within two years, we pulled off the streets 5,000 youths to agriculture, and you can verify this”. The Governor asserted.
Earlier, the Consul General of Netherlands, Mr. Michel Deelen, who expressed his admiration for the remarkable development stride of the state government, particularly in the agriculture sector, said he was impressed with how the state has transformed agriculture into a major driver of economic growth and youth empowerment, noting that the ongoing agriculture revolution has positioned the state as one of the most promising states in Nigeria.
