Professor Hafiz, who is also the former Deputy Governor of Kano State, insisted that the state of insecurity in the country can be managed with the aid of agriculture-based economic diversification.
Speaking today, November 26, at the 10th convocation lecture of Michael Okpara of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), in Abia State, the Professor said that the development of the economic diversification plan requires clear guidelines and responsibilities of all stakeholders.
Professor Hafiz said that a strong political will is also required to develop and implement policies and strategies for the country’s economic diversification.
“To accommodate a growing number of young people entering the labour market, Nigeria will need to create at least five million new jobs each year over the next decade.
“Based on the experience of other countries, embracing more open trade and competition policies would help diversify the economy and reinvigorate growth, particularly as the African Continental Free Trade Area takes effect.”
According to Professor Hafiz, who is also the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, for Nigeria to move closer to unlocking its full agriculture potential, the value chain has to be identified, mapped, prioritised and digitised.
He advised MOUAU to lead research in the identification, mapping and deepening agricultural value chain and to explore the triple helix model (Academia-Industry-Government) partnership to build a model agricultural food value chain for self-sufficiency and national orientation.
This was even as chairman of the lecture, Senator Chris Adighije, described the topic of the lecture as apt because the role of security in nation-building could not be over-emphasised.
Adighije, who is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Federal University, Lokoja, also described security as a pre-condition for everything and social development.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of MOUAU, Professor Maduebibisi Iwe, said the lecture was timely as the country was in dire need of economic advancement.
Professor Iwe, who was represented by his deputy (Academics), Prof. Udo Herbert, described the lecturer as a renowned academic, with vast knowledge in the agricultural sector.
Source: NAN.
