By Jerome-Mario Utomi
In recent weeks, the Governor of Delta State, Mr Sheriff Oborevwori, took some leadership decisions that amply qualify as people-focused.
Some of these actions by the Governor, in no particular order include but not limited to the inspection of the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS) at Mbiri Farm Settlement with 30 greenhouses for the cultivation of tomatoes and other vegetables, the Agro-Industrial Park in Aboh-Ogwashi for rice milling and others, in Ika North-East and Aniocha South local government areas, respectively, with a promise that his administration will continue to improve on the agricultural value chain to ensure food security and job creation in the state.
The second is the signing of a Shareholders Agreement by the state with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and UTM Offshore Limited, for the development of the first Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) in Nigeria.
The third is the allocation of a take-off site for the Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences in Kwale, situated within the Ndokwa West Local Government Area of the State.
The fourth and very key was the Governor’s declaration that the state would disburse N2 billion in the Special Agricultural Intervention Fund to farmers this month, among others.
Indeed, while these initiatives share a common denominator as they are envisioned to create job opportunities for our youths and advance the socio-economic development of the state, the state governor’s decision to invest N2 billion in agriculture, in the opinion of this piece, stands out and the reason for this assertion is not farfetched.
First, instead of investing massively in agricultural development in the state, particularly as the sector is globally recognized as not only the backbone but the oxygen for human survival, successive administrations in the state, on the contrary, dissipated the state’s resources on cosmetic empowerment programmes understood within the context of shabbily executed youth skill training, unfortunately, characterized by neither substance nor concrete plan for sustainability. The presentation of starter packs was the only Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for measuring the success of such slanted visions and misdirected programmes.
Within this period, agriculture was brazenly relegated to the background while these past leaders on their part failed to remember that behind every failure lies a failed decision, and behind every failed decision, lies a government that failed its people.
Secondly, Oborevwori’s investment in agriculture is coming at a time when policymakers across the globe are actively integrating policy frameworks that both protect the rights and opportunities of coming generations and contribute to compatible approaches and in a season when there exists a veiled agreement across the world that agriculture sector holds the key for resolving youth unemployment challenge.
For a better understanding of where this piece is headed, youth in every society, says a study report, has the potential to stimulate economic growth, social progress, and all national development through active involvement in the agricultural sector.
The strategic role of youths in the development of different societies of the world such as Cuba, Libya, China, Russia and Israel is obvious. Youth unemployment is potentially dangerous as it sends signals to all segments of the Society. Here in Nigeria, the rate of youth unemployment is high, even at the period of economic normalcy i.e. the oil boom of the 1970s (6.2%); 1980s (9.8%), and the 1990s (11.5%).
Youth unemployment, therefore, is not a recent phenomenon. But if what happened in the 1980s/90s was a challenge of the sort, what is happening presently, going by the latest report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), is a challenge. This and many other concerns have unexpectedly caused divided opinion and a proliferation of solutions.
This piece is not alone in this line of argument.
In fact, many Nigerians of goodwill have lately expressed concern that it is not right for state and federal governments to create agencies that dole money to Nigerian youths to eradicate poverty. Such huge resources, they argued do not have economic value. Instead, such an amount should be invested in the agricultural sector.
They underlined that considering the slow-growing economy but scary unemployment levels in the country, the nation will continue to find itself faced with difficulty accelerating the economic life cycle of the nation until its handlers contemplate commercial farming in such specialized areas. And a long-term goal of exporting such goods to West/African markets should be brought into focus.
Others canvassed less emphasis on university education. Agricultural colleges, they insisted should be established and funded to produce graduates that will champion such crusade.
Still on the relevance of the Governor’s decision to invest in agriculture, aside from the worrying reports that by 2050, global consumption of food and energy is expected to double as the world’s population and incomes grow, while climate change is expected to hurt both crop yields and the number of arable acres, we are in dire need of solution to this problem because unemployment has diverse implications.
Security-wise, a large unemployed youth population is a threat to the security of the few that are employed. Any transformation that does not have job creation as its main objective will not take us anywhere and the agricultural sector can absorb the teeming unemployed youth in the country.
The above trend has brought about dramatic shifts from agriculture in preference for white-collar jobs- a trend that urgently needs to be reversed.
Take, as an illustration, over the past century in the United States of America (USA), a study has it that there exists a shift in the locations and occupations of urban consumers.
In 1900, about 40% of the total population was employed on the farm, and 60% lived in rural areas. Today, the respective figures are only about 1% and 20%. Over the past half-century, the number of farms has fallen by a factor of three.
As a result, the ratio of urban eaters to rural farmers has markedly risen, giving the food consumer a more prominent role in shaping the food and farming system. The changing dynamic has also played a role in public calls to reform federal policy to focus more on the consumer implications of the food supply chain.
Separate from job creation, averting malnutrition which constitutes a serious setback to the socio-economic development of any nation is another reason why the Delta state government’s decision to embrace agriculture should be celebrated. As we know, agriculture remains a vehicle for food security and a sustainable socio-economic sector.
In fact, it was noted recently that in Nigeria, governments over the years have come to realize that sustainable growth is achievable only under an environment in which the generality of the people is exposed to a balanced diet, not just food. This explains why agricultural production should receive heightened attention. Again, it was reported that in Nigeria, an estimated 2.5 million children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition (sam) annually, exposing nearly 420,000 children within that age bracket to early death from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria.
This is unacceptable!
For us to, therefore, achieve this objective in agriculture that will guarantee food security as well as bring about sustainable development, the state government must provide the needed support, technical know-how and other specialized training.
To catalyse the process, this piece holds the opinion that the state government must start thinking of developing for these farmers good transportation system and other infrastructure that offers low fares and connection of major economic towns and landlocked cities to aid the distribution of food products and other economic products from advantaged to less advantaged areas.
Other state governments and of course the Federal government must on their path draw a lesson from the ongoing initiative in Delta State.
Jerome-Mario Utomi is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy) for Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Lagos. He can be reached via [email protected]/08032725374