The Chairman of Ijaiye/Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Oluyemisi Adenike Rosiji, has pledged to encourage market men and women to form cooperatives, in order to buy food stuffs and other commodities in bulk, to make it affordable to residents in the council area.
Rosiji, who made the promise during a courtesy visit to the Corporate Office of Spectra Industries Limited, Oko-Oba, Lagos, regretted that malnutrition has become a scourge in the society and needs to be addressed with utmost urgency.
She said: “Our focus is to look into the issue of malnourished and stunted children in the LCDA. We will encourage market women and men to form cooperatives so that they can buy foodstuffs and other commodities in bulk so as to sell cheap.
“We will work with the MSMEs and promote their businesses, while seeking protection for them and their products. We will also engage consultants to train youths and women on skill acquisition. We will leave nobody behind as we are determined to improve the lives of citizens in our LCDA.”
In his presentation, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spectra Industries Limited, Duro Kuteyi, decried the poor state of infrastructure in the Southwest, linking this to lack of will power by governors in the region, especially in the area of good road networks and mechanisation support for farmers.
“Our problem in the southwest is our governors. Take for example the road network from Ibadan to Ife, it’s a write-off. From Ife to Ilesa to Akure to Ado-Ekiti is also not good. When you don’t have good roads, how do you transport? And the governors keep quiet. What does it take for the governors to come together and invite the minister for works to see the situation? They need to do a lot more for their people,” he said.
The CEO stressed that Nigeria cannot achieve lasting food security without agro-processing, warning that farm produce would continue to waste without value addition.
“If I buy yam and keep it, how long will it last? But if it’s processed, it can last for two years. Cassava garri can last for three years. With that, the price will not go up; it will remain uniform throughout the year,” he explained.
He also urged government to protect small and medium enterprises from foreign competition, reduce import levies on machinery, and ensure security for farmers across the country.
“The government should ensure security for the farmers, protect the MSME and their products, and see how MSMEs can bring in machinery at no duty. If you allow tractor to come in at no duty, that is good for everybody,” he said.
He also urged government to protect small and medium enterprises from foreign competition, reduce import levies on machinery, and ensure security for farmers across the country.
“The government should ensure security for the farmers, protect the MSME and their products, and see how MSMEs can bring in machinery at no duty. If you allow tractor to come in at no duty, that is good for everybody,” he said.
