Olubadan to diasporians: Embrace agro-business to alleviate poverty, reduce unemployment in Nigeria

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By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji weekend asked well-meaning Nigerians living abroad to embrace investing in agric business back home to alleviate poverty and reduce the increasing unemployment rate in Nigeria.
Oba Adetunji made the call while receiving members of the Yoruba Descendants Union in the United State of America led by its President, Agba-Akin Bolu Omodele into his Popoyemoja, Ibadan palace.
The royal father noted that with almost every part of the land in Yoruba land being cultivable, it is glaring that one area of investment that would interest Nigerians in the diaspora will be agri-business, compared to other business ventures, with the risk rate lower.
Emphasizing that “hunger and starvation is real”, he said intending investors in agri-business could also take advantage of the overwhelming presence of virtually all the agricultural institutes in Ibadan, such as International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, IAR&T, Cocoa Research Institute (CRIN), Forestry Research Institute (FRIN), Nigeria Institute of Horticultural Research and Training (NIHORT) among others.
The Olubadan declared that all these research institutes “are in a better position to consult and advise intending investors in agri-business in a way that would benefit both the institutes and investors”.
Oba Adetunji lamented that many Nigerians are still facing hardship under the erroneous impression that “agricultural business is better left in the hands of peasants”.
Earlier President of the Yoruba Descendants Union, Agbaakin Bolu Omodele urged the Olubadan to help in contacting and sesitizing traditional rulers in Yorubaland ahead of the Yoruba World Summit slated for Ibadan next October as well as
supporting them towards successful holding of
the summit.
Agbaakin Omodele stressed that participants of the summit are expected to be drawn from among young school leavers, traders and artisans in Yorubaland on what to do to become self-dependent.
He added that his team would soon embark on a tour of Yorubaland with a view to knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each location.

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