AIEN, ALGON in talks to create 10 million jobs through agriculture – ex-NDE boss
By Steve Oko
Agricultural and Industrial Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AIEN), has said it is in talks with the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) to create 10 million jobs through agriculture.
Pioneer Director General of National Directorate of Employment (NDE), and National President of AIEN, Chief Chuku Wachuku, who disclosed this in a chat with Wawa News Global, said agriculture remained “a quick fix” for the biting economic hardship in the country.
The United States -trained Empowerment Economist, regretted that Nigeria is suffering in the midst of plenty due to neglect and inadequate investment in the critical agric sector.
He said that he led a delegation of the national leadership of AIEN to the National President of ALGON, Alhaji Dr Aminu Muazu, last week in Abuja, where both associations agreed to partner in the vision.
Wachuku said that both associations would leverage on their national spread and presence in the 774 Local Government Areas in the country, to engage in massive investment in the agric sector.
According to him, focus will be on staple crops which each LGA has comparative advantage in producing.
He noted that every part of Nigeria has arable land for farming various kinds of crops but regretted that lack of interest in agriculture has been the major reason Nigeria is starving.
” There is no land in Nigeria that isn’t productive. The main reason we have inflation is because of low investment in agriculture. So, we have so much money chasing few available products.”
On how they intend to generate 10 million jobs, the former NDE boss hinted that 1000 youths would be trained and engaged in each of the 774 LGAs, who would in turn engage about 11 others in a planting season.
” Employment creation must be private sector driven. That’s the reason Government is not succeeding in good intentioned interventions.
” If we engage 744,000 people in farming and each person engages 11 additional persons in a particular farming season, you already have 8,514,000 jobs. It’s not rocket science. This is what we are set to do and it will happen. It’s going to be a combination of public sector engagement to create jobs.”
He lauded the national leadership of ALGON for its interest in the project, describing the current leadership of the association as “visionary and enterprising”.
“I commend the visionary leadership of the present ALGON. For the first time ALGON National Executives not only wish to be in transition, but want to create empowerment and wealth for their members nationwide.
” Our views are aligned, we will engage more and partner to solve Nigeria’s food insecurity through massive investment in agriculture across the 774 LGAs”.
Chief Wachuku who was the national President of Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists, NASSI, urged youths to embrace commercial agriculture for wealth creation”.
He said that a lot of opportunities and wealth were locked in the sector, adding that engagement of substantial percentage of the youths in the sector will also lead to drastic decline in crime rate.
Steve Oko, Publisher/C.E.O, WaWa News Global. For more information on advert placement and news coverage, contact us on: 08038725600, or via email stevemanofgod2000@yahoo.com; wawanewsglobal@gmail.com Always read WaWa News Global - Your most dependable online news platform for the latest breaking news in Nigeria. 
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