Nigerian youths have been tasked to leverage on agriculture as a way of life, to create job opportunities for themselves and combat food insecurity.
This came to the fore during the 2024 Annual Colloquium of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Ogun State Chapter, with the theme, “Galvanizing Public and Private Stakeholders Towards Addressing Food Crises in Nigeria: Public Relations as Key Driver“, at June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta.
Speaking, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who is also the Patron of the Institute, described the Colloquium as a platform for tangible collaboration and lasting change, expressing his administration’s commitment to improve the economy, promote industrialisation and ensure job creation through agriculture.
Represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo, Governor Abiodun said 120,000 farmers were assisted through different agricultural intervention programmes such as, Ogun State Economic Transformation Programme (OGSTEP) and Value-Chain Development Programme (VCDP), among others.
He identified the private sector as a critical partner in agricultural investment, towards promoting growth and profit making in the sector, urging Public Relations and communication experts to become advocates for food security in the state and the nation at large.
“We must use Public Relations to shift perceptions, to show that agriculture is not a last resort for those struggling, but a lucrative, sustainable business”, he said.
In his good will message, Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr, Olaolu Olabintan, pointed out that the theme underscores the essential role of strategic communication in mobilising collective action and fostering collaboration to address food crises, noting that, “whatever recommendation thereafter should be executable”.
Earlier, the State Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Ogun State Chapter, Mrs. Seun Boye, said the theme of this year’s Colloquium was borne out of the Institute’s desire to contribute its quota to nation building by bringing in technocrats in agriculture to discuss issues that could address challenges of food crises in the country.
The lead speaker, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof. Olusola Kehinde, stressed that the challenges of food crises and climate change were not peculiar to Nigeria alone but universal, encouraging Public-Private Partnership (PPP) towards food and livestock production.
He said PPP aimed at applying market mechanism to improve agri-food system, thereby reducing food insecurity and advancing rural development.
Highlights of the Colloquium was presentation of Outstanding Support for Food Security award to Governor Abiodun, while four others were honoured for their feats in agricultural value-chain, as well as the launching of Image Maker journal.
