Kayode ShopekanNIGERIAN Economic Summit Group (NESG) Chairman, Asue Ighodalo has challenged both Federal and State governments to eradicate poverty by opening up the rural sector and enhancing their internally generated revenue.
Ighodalo gave the charge on the sidelines of the 27th Nigeria Economic Summit convened by the group.
He stressed the need to provide extension services and storage facilities to rural farmers, while also urging them to give quality education and improved healthcare facilities to Nigerians.
“We can no longer afford to day-dream and theorise about the right policies, projects and programmes that will prepare us for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or gaze in admiration or envy at other countries as they leave us far behind,” Ighodalo added.
The chairman called on the president to give more attention to young people, out-of-school children, provide more job opportunities, improve security and economic diversification as the focus of his eight-year-term legacy.
Ighodalo charged governors and the Federal Government to leverage the opportunities of the times to design and implement the appropriate policies.
He further called on the private sector to support the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to deliver improved quality of life for the people.
The Group Managing Director, Flour Mills, Nigeria, Omoboyede Olusanya, said the challenge of rising food prices across the country could be overcome if more players in the agri-food system increased their investments in homegrown innovation and local production of raw materials.
Olusanya said, “Nigeria needs 60 million tonnes of grains annually while the nation produces about 22 million tonnes of grains, adding that the innovation of local raw materials had further driven investments in backward integration.”
The GMD explained that FMN has championed the use of local raw materials and innovation to create affordable products for Nigerians, noting that even as imported raw materials increased in price due to a massive gap between supply and demand, the company was able to keep prices low while maintaining quality through innovation and local supply.
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