By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos.
Government at all levels, including the private sector have been implored to invest more in the agriculture sector if the country must get out of the current economic recession.
The Chairman, Agric and Agro Allied Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pastor Elliot Adeola made the call weekend in Lagos at the end of the party/raffle draw event of Perfection Real Estate Investors Cooperative Society.
Adeola noted that the value of the agriculture has not really been exploited by successful government and the private sector after the first republic.
He urged that a serious agenda should be set in the agriculture sector to enable the country witness a turn around of the economy.
The LCCI chieftain recalled that the western region of the country witnessed a great development in the first republic through huge investment in the agriculture sector.
“It is high time we begin to look at issue intelligently and set a serious agenda in agriculture, we have not really exploit the value of agriculture.
“The south-west could be able to develop on its own during the era of Awolowo due to investment in agriculture. Great development such as infrastructure, free education and many others were achieved as a result of this. So i enjoined government at all levels and the private sector to invest in agriculture if we are to get out of this recession” he stressed.
Adeola, who was the chairman of the occasion, also spoke on the benefit of cooperative society, saying it can be used to boost the economy through the investment in real estate.
“Cooperative can be used to boost the economy by investing the money contributed into real estate, agriculture and this would yield great interest. Cooperative would help you to build asset that one can rely on at retirement and also Create jobs”, he emphasises.
He however urged cooperators and managers of the fund to be honest and shun corruption, warning that it would ruin the business.
While presenting a paper tilted ” Real Estate Investment in Today’s Nigeria : Matters Arising” at the occasion, a real estate expert Lekan Aboderin pointed out that real estate is central to all needs and developments.
“If not a chattel real and suffers no obsolescence, it enjoys capital appreciation or at lease a store of value. Hence, the need to have a share or participate by investing”, he stressed.
Speaking to newsmen at the event president of the society Mr. Niyi Adeleke noted that the society was borne out of a need to make home ownership accessible to average Nigerians and promote real estate investment portfolio among all strata of the society.
“It is the passion to make these happen that led to the idea of a mono-purpose cooperative society of this nature where members can pool resources together to achieve what on individual basis will be very difficult.
“We keyed into this aspect of the economy because we are expert in this area and it has been identified as the major need of human being.
“With the current economic situation in the country it is imperative to engage in this form of collaborative efforts by individuals, group or society to achieve certain set individual objectives,” he added.
Mr Adeleye noted that the society is using the end of the year rewards ceremony as a form of encouragement to other members of the society in the need to do more and also awareness to other member of the society.
Plots of land at Lekki, washing machine, generating sets and cable television decoders are among the gifts given out to cooperators who distinguished themselves by contributing promptly.
