Cleric wants more attention on agriculture

To halt the dwindling fortunes of the country as a result of the crash in the oil sector, a clergyman, Matthew Kolawole Olakanmi, has called for the diversification of the nation’s economy from the oil to agriculture.

Olakanmi, founder and the leader of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Onala Parish, Ibadan, Oyo State, lamented that the over-dependence on the on oil since its discovery in the 1960s has started to take a negative toll on the Nigeria’s economy.

Olakanmi spoke with journalists after the International Christian Leadership Promotion presented him with the Leadership Merit Award at the church auditorium, along Mokola-Sango Road, Oremeji, Ibadan.

He insisted that the only way for the Nigerian government to salvage the country’s economy from further recession “is to take the bull by the horns and squarely face agriculture, which is more reliable and sustainable.”

Olakanmi said, “Apart from stabilising our economy, diversifying our economy from oil to agriculture will provide jobs for our teeming unemployed youths.

“We are only talking about fall or reduction in oil price in the world market as it affects Nigeria.

“We must note that God may allow such a thing to happen because of our sins. I read a newspaper that stated that Boko Haram insurgents have killed over 28,000 innocent Nigerians, including pastors and Muslims. We need to pray and beg God to forgive us our sins; that is the only way forward.

See more at: DailyIndependent.com