Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Director of Agribusiness Incubation Centre (ABIC), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Dr Philips Nto, has challenged Nigerian youths to embrace agriculture as a legitimate means of becoming billionaires fast.
He also told them to get involved in politics at the local government levels so as to influence decisions on agriculture instead of allowing the older generation to decide their future.
Dr Nto gave the advice in his office when executive members of National Youth Council of Nigeria, Abia State Chapter, paid him a working visit.
The former Provost, Abia State College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu, said that youths in agriculture, could immediately exploit the opportunities available in the agricultural value chain.
He regretted that Nigeria currently loses a whopping N14 trillion annually due to its inability to harness surplus harvest.
“The next crop of millionaires and billionaires in Nigeria would be youth entrepreneurs who tap in from the opportunities available in the value chain. More than N14 trillion is lost annually from post harvest mismanagement of agricultural produce,” he emphasised.
According to him, resourceful entrepreneurs could look at ways of setting up businesses that would preserve surplus harvest or turn them into varieties of consumables. They could also set up factories and transportation businesses.
The Director noted that agribusiness also offers a lot of opportunities for youths to invest in and make legitimate living instead of engaging in criminal activities.
He explained that the Federal Government set up ABIC in some select universities to offer practical knowledge to such youths and commended the MOUAU Vice Chancellor, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, for providing them the ambience to operate maximally.
Dr Nto also commended the Federal Government and the African Development Bank for the on going agro processing zone projects across the country.
But he advised that the project should be designed and sited in areas with crop comparative advantage, unlike in the past, when silos were sited indiscriminately, resulting in abandonment .
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Comrade Smith Silvernus, informed Dr Nto that the council in Abia State has concluded arrangements to launch a programme tagged “Abia Youths back to Farm,” and needed the assistance of ABIC.
He expressed satisfaction with the activities of ABIC and the advice it has offered the youths to embrace agriculture as a means of survival.
He noted that they would explore means of using their grassroots strength to embrace politics as advised by the ABIC director so as to positively influence local farming.
Comrade Silvernus told the ABIC director that they will return with specific areas that assistance would be offered the organisation and commended Nto for the warm and educative reception.
