Group calls on women, youths to invest in agriculture

Former governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has urged women and youths to invest in agriculture. He stated this at SME 100 and Rubies Vocational School conference in Lagos.

Uduaghan encouraged people, especially those coming out of school to explore other areas like agriculture because the job market is very lean.

“To make a success out of agriculture, you must have the interest. We must encourage our children to go agriculture into Nigeria. Information technology (IT) is another area to look at.”

Charles Odii, the executive director of SME 100 said the time has come for Nigerian women to be competitive on a global level in the areas of politics, agriculture and technology.

The nation can only develop substantially, if women make effort at being professionals in these male-dominated sectors. The conference was organised for women to learn from those who are renowned, Odii said.

At the conference, Mrs. Orode Ryan-Okpu, executive director, Rubies Vocational School stated that aside from the conference, women in the rural areas of Nigeria will not be left out of the training programmes of both organization.

Keynote speakers at the conference were Mosun Bello-Olusoga (Chairperson, Access Bank PLC); Hajiya Aisha Babangida (Chairman, Better Life for Rural Women, Nigeria); Lolade Akande (Commissioner For Women Affairs, Lagos State), Mosun Umaru (Founder, Harvester Farms Ltd) and others. They all encouraged women to collectively fight the scourge of poverty through empowerment and strive to be the best.