Mr Olusayo Akinnigbagbe, a former director of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has called on fresh graduates to explore opportunities in agriculture to mitigate unemployment and boost food security.
He gave the advice on Wednesday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Sagamu, Ogun.
Akinnigbagbe, a retired NYSC Director of Mobilisation, was at the camp to give a motivational talk to the Batch ‘Câ€
Stream 1 corps members undergoing orientation at the camp.
He urged graduates to be innovative, saying that the reality of global unemployment meant that not every graduate would have access to white-collar jobs.
“Farming is an under-tapped goldmine in the country that the majority has not come to fully appreciate its value.
“When we farm, we feed ourselves and as a result save the country millions of dollars in foreign exchange.
“So many items can be produced for the benefit of Nigerians and likewise for export with advancement in agriculture.
“We will continue to have a huge unemployment crisis unless we take advantage of agriculture, which will also boost industrialisation.
“The value chain agriculture offers would make the nationâ€s economy manufacture-based and address the service-based economy that we practice,â€� he said.
According to him, Nigeriaâ€s problem is not about resources but of having leaders with political will to address the various challenges facing it.
Akinnigbagbe further urged government at all levels to accord priority to agriculture by making it attractive to youths through capital investment waivers.
He also called for massive public and private investments in agriculture, describing it as the panacea to unemployment.
“Policy-makers must recognise the importance of agriculture for employment of the young and redouble efforts to transform the sector.
“Our leaders must convert their rhetorical commitment to agriculture into actions that transform the lives of millions of our young people.
“Their efforts will be repaid with an outpouring of energy and initiative sufficient to raise incomes, improve food security, deliver better nutrition and boost the balance of payments,� he said.
Akinnigbagbe added that a vibrant agricultural sector was the only mechanism by which the youths could access economic dividends.
The post Unemployment: Ex-NYSC Director Tasks Youths To Leverage On Agricultural appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
Unemployment: Ex-NYSC Director Tasks Youths To Leverage On Agricultural
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