National Egg Production Scheme Takes Off In Ondo

The National Egg Production, NEGPRO Scheme - a public private partnership initiative designed to create jobs for youths in Nigeria has taken off in Ondo State.

The Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, flagged off the programme on Friday 12th January, 2018, at Aaye, a community along Ijare Road.

Chief Audu restated the Federal Government's commitment to ending hunger and unemployment in the nation through agriculture and diversification of the nation's economy.

He blamed the present youth unemployment, illegal immigration and youth restlessness on long neglect of agriculture.

" We have neglected agriculture for too long because of oil and gas. Now, our youths are jobless because we have imbibed the culture of doing nothing.

" Our youths walk into voluntary slavery in Libya, South Africa and other countries in the world because no other sector can provide the jobs agriculture could provide", he said.

Speaking further, the Minister lauded Governor Akeredolu for his intentions to revive cocoa production. He advised Ondo State indigenes especially, the youths to key into the programme as this would help reduce the dangling weight of discord and violence caused by idleness in Nigeria.

In his address, Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, described the Federal Government's strides towards agricultural rejuvenation in the country as a welcome development, stating that his administration was fully prepared to partner with the Ministry of Agriculture in every possible way to ensure adequate implementation of the programme.

Governor Akeredolu used the opportunity to highlight major Agro-based projects of the State which include the proposed 42 billion Naira Egg Powder Factory in Emure billed to kick off on 22nd February, 2018; the almost completed Chocolate Factory which the current Administration inherited from the immediate past government; and the Youth on the Ridges project which he declared is aimed at engaging 18,000 youths in Ondo State. To this end, the Governor mentioned that five secondary schools, in each Local Government Area of the State, have been selected for the programme.

Akeredolu also charged the people to take the scheme seriously as only Agriculture, acording to him, can replace the jobs lost due to the current decline of oil price in the global market.

On the present challenge - the menace of herdsmen invasion farms and destruction of farm products across the country, the Governor assured that his Administration would take decisive actions to quel the perpetration of such audious crimes advising the people to go about their daily businesses without any fear of attack.

" Our state has had her own share of the crisis but not on horrendous scale whose odious effect continues to reverberates throughout the country.

"Our Administration is taking proactive steps to ensure that this obnoxious phenomenon is nipped in the bud. While we encourage all those with legitimate intentions to visit our Space, we intend to clear the doubt of anyone who may wish to perpetrate crime under nebulous guises.

"We will not tolerate any act of brigandage. We will defend the right of our people to engage in farming without let or hindrance of any sort. We will sanction with impassioned severity any acts which seek to tilt the balance of harmonious co-existence in the State towards anarchy. The full weight of the law will be brought to bear on criminal elements", the Governor added.

High point of the event was the presentation of a Cheque for 564 million Naira to the 135 benefiting farmers of the scheme.

Let these politicians employ their kids in such business.