Patronise made-in-Nigeria products, Ooni urges leaders

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Thursday, said the nation’s leaders should desist from complaining on the biting effects of economic recession, but patronise made-in-Nigeria products to boost local economy.

He said it was incumbent for all and sundry to stop complaining about the country’s social and economic challenges by exploring potentials inherent in agricultural and other sectors to tackle the recession.

Oba Ogunwusi stated this in Ile Ife during the launching of Ife Youth Agropreneurship Summit 2016, which he co-sponsored with Bank of Industry (BoI), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Bank of Agriculture (BoA).

According to him, the high patronage of imported products by Nigerian leaders and other categories of wealthy individuals led to scarcity of dollars, which the local manufacturing sector depends on for the procurement of materials and machineries.

Oba Ogunwusi asserted, “We should stop complaining about economic recession. Blame game should stop because God blessed Nigeria as a country with abundant natural resources and there is no justification for us to be languishing in poverty and deprivation.

“We should all embrace agriculture with massive investment in the sector. Through this approach, we can generate foreign exchange needed. This will go a long way in reinvigorating our ailing economy.

“Apart from paving way for the emergence of successful young entrepreneurs, the scheme would serve as a catalyst for the healthy growth of Nigeria economy. We have to look inward and explore opportunities that abound in this country,” Oba Ogunwusi remarked.

In her remark, the Group Head, Department of Agro-processing, Bank of Industry (BoI), Mrs Ruth Kadafa, said the bank would provide loan facilities to beneficiaries of the empowerment scheme.