Audu Ogbeh
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has stated that he predicted the emergence of Boko Haram insurgency 16 years ago.
Ogbeh stated he had warned northern elders to guard against it by that ensuring youths in the region were productively engaged in agriculture.
The minister recalled that the insurgency, which he predicted would wear a religious guise would have been prevented if his warning had been taken by the northern leaders he addressed in Kaduna in the year, 2000.
Ogbeh made the disclosure when he spoke at the second day of the third edition of the Ogun State Investors’ Forum.
“16 years ago, I foresaw the coming of Boko Haram sect. Then, I warned northern leaders to engage their youths productively in agriculture but no one listened me,” he stated.
He stated further that government should make agriculture attractive to the youth to stem rural-urban migration, and put measures in place to encourage small scale farmers and others in agro-allied sector.
As stated by him, because of 10 per cent viscosity and starch found in Nigeria’s cassava, the product was in high demand in China.
He urged the Ogun State government to take advantage of the opportunity and invest in cassava farming and processing.
“We need about one million tonnes of cassava per annum in Nigeria and in the next five years, it will rise to eight million tonnes.
“Apart from that, about $480million is being spent to import ethanol every year. So, I suggest that Ogun State and of course Nigeria, should take advantage of this and diversify in the cultivation as well as processing of this all important farm produce. Rice, vegetable, soya beans and sugar cane farming are other areas,” he also stated.
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