Only agric-business can bail Nigeria out of recession, Afe Babalola

A foremost Lawyer, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN) has called on all Nigerian leaders to see agriculture as the only business that will take Nigeria out of economic recession.

The legal luminary who decried the manner at which agriculture was neglected after discovery of oil said, the country can make many successful people through agric and create millions of job.

The founder of made the statement in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday while being decorated as the Life Patron of the Nigerian Association of Hairdressers, Cosmetologists, and Barbers (NASHCOB).

He said: “For Nigeria to overcome the present economic problems, we must add business to Agriculture. We need to develop our own technology, improve our own farming practice, innovate, invent and create massive and robust markets for our unique African agricultural products.

“Before the advent of oil, Nigeria was self-sufficient in many things. We made good money from agricultural products. Our naira was stronger than the British pound and the American Dollar. But after the oil discovery in Oloibiri in 1956, we abandoned that all-important income earner in favour of oil.

“Now, the price of oil has gone down in the international market.
But there is a way out: we should go back to our first love, Agriculture. I believe the time has come for Africa to take its pride of place via
Agriculture”, he advised.

Proffering solution to this economic crisis , Babalola added: “Let us stop exporting our raw agricultural products, let us encourage value chain production and retailing of such. Enough of all the big retail chains carrying 95 per cent foreign agriculture-based products, let us give them the benefit of stocking our well processed and packaged products”, he said.

Babalola commended the initiative of the hairdressers to partner ABUAD in promoting Moringa Hair cream being produced by his university, saying this will go a long way in promoting the products across Nigeria.

He said, “our university is into big farming, we have a big farm of Moringa trees and an industry where ten products from Moringa trees and leaves are being produced”.

The Lawyer who promised to assist the association to build its secretariat in Ado Ekiti also promised that ABUAD will create a special programme where members of the association can be trained to garner more skills to perform the task of their profession.

The Ekiti NASHCOB President, Mrs Mary Ayodele said she had presented the ABUAD’s Moringa Hair Cream to the national body of the association, revealing that the product will soon take over the hair industry in all the 36 states of the federation, because of the acceptability it enjoys.

“Our desire is to promote this product because of its quality.