By Francis Akinnodi

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As a way to enhance job and wealth creation at the grassroots, the Local Government chairmen in Ondo State have been charged to invest in entrepreneurship to reduce unemployment.
An Economist, Elder Fessy Olabode gave the charge while speaking with The Hope in Akure yesterday.
He noted that the local government is the closest to the people at the grassroots, hence the need for government to focus on grassroots development.
He said, “The newly elected local government chairmen should as a matter of urgency, focus on solving the problems of the people and should critically look inward into their different council areas and discover their areas of comparative advantages.
“This would enable them to start entrepreneurship development so that most of the youths would have something doing and in return, generate wealth for the council as well as the state.
“They would have to look at products common in their jurisdiction and develop set of entrepreneur cluster for the product. If carefully handled, within six months to a years, people would feel the impact”, he assured.
While noting that government is about good representation and positive impacts on citizens, he added that it is the responsibility of government at all levels to provide jobs for its citizens.
Olabode said, “They must ensure that youths get job to do. For instance, if plantain is produced in a large quantity from Ose, the chairman should look at what he can do to plant more of plantain; involve people to produce more and to look through the plantain value chain.
“Set up a plantain chips company and employ people to help the company survive. They would need products from farmers while interested youths or people should be involved for the substantiality of the business”, he said.
He explained that if the local government can serve as a catalyst and use the goods produced in the area effectively, they would be able to spring up a business that would create wealth and manpower for the local council.
He said with little fund to start and proper management, the economic structure of the state would be improved and positively affect the people lives.