Dr. Kayode Sule, an agriculturist and Dean of Student Affairs at the College of Agriculture in Akure, has emphasized that engaging in agriculture and industrialization, rather than focusing on minimum wage, is crucial to addressing Nigeria’s hunger and economic challenges.
Speaking on Saturday at the second edition of a quiz competition and lecture organized by the school’s Kite Press Club, Sule urged youths to prioritize agricultural practices and business ventures over seeking government employment.
He stressed that the high rates of unemployment and hunger in the country necessitate a shift towards agricultural production, processing, and services, particularly among the youth.
Sule also called on the government to support self-employment initiatives instead of expanding the already overstaffed civil service, suggesting that job creation should come from empowering individuals to create their own opportunities.
“Ondo State, as an example, has a population of over four million people, and I don’t think that the number of civil servants in the state is up to 100,000.
“So, if we take 100,000 from four million people, we will realise that self employment, rather than white collar jobs, is the way to go.
“We want people to know that cassava, which used to be ordinary food crop, has become industrial crop today.
“This is because from it, we can generate ethanol, industrial starch and many other things.
“Cassava is seriously needed in many countries of the world, likewise tomatoes and livestock production.
“So, agric business is profitable, and I am advising our youths to embrace it wholeheartedly for food sufficiency in the country,” he said.
In his remarks, Dr Joshua Ayantayo, Coordinator of the College Kites Press Club, said that the yearly quiz competition had revived reading culture in many students, which had in turn improved their academic performances.
Ayantayo, who teaches English Language and Communication in the General Studies Department, appealed to students not to see education as a scam, but as highly essential to better society.
“Rather than engaging in internet fraud which will not lead anywhere, students need to think of how to contribute their quota to the development of society and stop seeing education as a scam,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that six departments of Animal Health and Production Technology; Crop Production Technology; Pasture and Range Management; Agricultural Extension and Management; ; Horticultural Technology and Agricultural Engineering and Bio-Environmental participated in the quiz competition.
The Department of Crop Production Technology came first, the department of Animal Health and Production Technology came second while the Department of Pasture and Ranger Management came third in the quiz competition.
