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Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo will on October 18, 2016 lead a group of ministers and other personalities in the agricultural sector, financial institutions to the 2016 Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) annual development forum.
The 23rd annual forum of the organization was slated to take place at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua International Conference Centre, Abuja.
A statement signed by Sabina Idowu-Osehobo, executive director of the organization and made available to BusinessDay in Benin-City said the event will be chaired by the former president.
Osehobo also added that the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh and the Minister of State for Health, Osagie E. Ehanire are Special Guest of Honour and Guest of Honour respectively.
She said the forum has in its theme,”Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities”.
She disclosed that the keynote address will be delivered by Nteranya Sanginga, Director-General, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) while Valentine Aletor, a professor of Agriculture Biochemistry and Nutrition and pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Elizade University, Ondo State and Clement O.Illoh, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.
The LAPO, executive director, posited that the 22nd edition with the theme, ” Women Entrepreneurship Development: Issues, Opportunities and Approaches” was chaired by Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Osehobo enumerated the objectives of the forum to increase knowledge on food security and sustainable agriculture in Nigeria, provide farmers and agro-business owners with access to funding opportunities, Provide opportunities for entrepreneurs, development partners, academia, policy makers and other stakeholders to interact on a sustainable agriculture in Nigeria.
She noted that over the years food insecurity has became a critical issue in Nigeria, and that the nation’s agricultural development has been on a downward spiral.
She further disclosed that World Bank data revealed that about 90 percent of Nigeria’s agricultural output comes from inefficient small farms, and that most farmers cannot even produce enough food to feed their own families.
While pointing out that the UNICEF statistics put the country’s food insecure population about 65 percent, however lamented that various government agricultural programmes targeted at the poor farmers have not brought about the much trumpeted agricultural revolution.
Osehobo averred that most of the programmes have served as conduit pipes for government officials to syphon public funds and stash them away in foreign countries.
