Fall in crude oil price, Austerity in Nigeria: A call to revisit the moribund Agricultural sector. Nigeria is blessed with vast cultivatable land, numerous natural and mineral resources. A land full of “milk and honey” like we use to sing it in those good days, though we still sing it now that there is hardship everywhere, “na my papa land now, I no get choice”. Down the memory lane, when I was a kid, the mad rush for petroleum was not known then, things were a bit okay, our naira still has values competing with dollars and other currencies. Agriculture was still thriving at least at an enduring pace. I learnt from history and from the aged, that some of the early infrastructural facilities and edifies built in Nigeria like the Cocoa House in Ibadan, UI, OAU, Liberty Stadium and many others were funded with the income from Agricultural produce. Our mining and textile industries were functioning at their best in those good days, there were jobs for the educated and those who felt they are not good enough to be in school despite the fact that education was free or almost free at all level. The advent or discovery of petroleum is like a curse to this “sleeping giant of Africa” called Nigeria. The hitherto thriving sectors of the economy became dead, our refineries became moribund, the cabals decided to share the oil wells among themselves to the detriment of the nation. Truly they export our crude abroad to refine, only to use our money to buy/import the refined oil without anything being said about other fractions of the crude sent abroad, or is it only petrol and diesel we get from the crude? So many things are amissed in this country, which only God intervention can help put aright. The ministers and the committee on economy should wake up before it is too late. They should change their focus and revisit agricultural sector with all seriousness. Diversification to other sectors including the abandoned mineral sectors….Coal, Tin and Columbite, Iron-ore, Limestone to mention but few is needed. If they fail to act fast and act well now, posterity will judge them and wherever they go outside the shore of the nation with the looted money of this country, they will not escape the wrath of almighty God.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 10:47:48 +0000
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