He said due to the development,
successive administrations in the country abandoned non-oil products
such as cocoa, cassava, palm oil, among others that made Nigeria great
in the First Republic.
Adesina said this during the 6th Annual Lecture of Wilson Badejo Foundation in Lagos on Tuesday.
The minister, represented by Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Ibukun Odushote, said
Nigeria had lost its leadership position in agriculture because of oil.
He said the country spends N1bn yearly
on rice importation, stressing that Nigeria had the potential to produce
rice to feed the continent.
Adesina said, “Nigeria has no business
importing food. Agriculture industry is the key to economic recovery.
The Goodluck Jonathan administration had ensured that there is complete
turnaround in the sector.
“When I was first made a minister, the
first battle was to tackle the institutionalised corruption in the
agriculture sector, particularly the distribution of fertilizer.
Middlemen fed fat at the detriment of the farmers the products were
intended for.
“I must tell you that fertilizer racket
was on for 40 years in Nigeria. But because of the determination of the
current administration to improve the agriculture sector, the racket was
contained under 90 days.
“Nigeria’s dependence on oil has been a
disaster. If Nigeria had developed palm oil, cocoa, cassava and other
non-oil products, the country would have fared better.”
Special Adviser to the Lagos Governor
Babatunde Fashola on Regional Integration, Mr. Tunji Adebuyi said
agriculture remained the solution to take care of the less privileged in
the society.
He said in the South-West, regional
integration had been put in place and the region had resolved to embark
on agriculture revolution.
“It is when visionary leaders – those with the fear of God are in power that you can take care of the less privileged,” he said.
Former General Overseer, Foursquare
Gospel Church, Rev. Wilson Badejo, the Founder of the organisation, said
the foundation was inspired to put smiles on the faces of the less
privileged in the society.
“We believe very strongly in the
development of the less privileged. We are motivated to do what we are
doing because Jesus Christ had commanded us to do so,” Badejo said.
Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Olatunji
Bello, urged people of good conscience to help the youths to do some
things to keep them off crimes.
He also advised people to
tap into opportunities in the rural areas, saying development of the
rural areas was critical to the development of the country.
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