Poor education responsible for neglect of agric sector

The Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has said that defect in the nation’s education system is responsible for the neglect of the agricultural sector.

Babalola, who traced the decline in the Nigerian agriculture sector to the discovery of petroleum in the 1960s, said it was regrettable that Nigerian youths were now being trained to seek employment opportunities in other areas but the agric sector.

The legal icon, however noted that if well embraced, agriculture had the potential of not only eliminating scarcity of food but also poverty.

Babalola spoke over the weekend at the opening of the Agricultural Week of the Afe Babalola University.

He said, “Everywhere in the world, throughout the ages, the place and import of agriculture have always been on the front burner of national priority. And this is not for nothing, as agriculture does not only provide food, employment and security, it also reduces the prevalence of poverty, promotes self-sufficiency and reduction in crime rate.

“But our educational system, right from elementary school up to the university level, has neglected agriculture, relying only on oil, thereby giving birth to high rate of unemployment.”

Babalola, who made a case for youth orientation towards agriculture, said it was also capable of reducing the rate of restlessness and crime among the youth.

“After all, a man who has nothing to eat or feed his family with may not find it difficult to lapse into petty larceny to make ends meet. After all, a hungry man is an angry man,” he said.

He added that a positive change of attitude towards farming will afford the citizens access to fresh food items.

He said, “Apart from according man the opportunity to eat fresh food, agriculture allows man to stay close to nature. The excitement that accompanies planting maize, for instance, and seeing it germinate, tassel and eventually matures for you to harvest is better imagined. It is always a beautiful, fulfilling and an almost indescribable experience.”