By Fatima Muraina

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The Senior Special Assistant to the Ondo State Governor on Agric and Agric Business, Pastor Akin Olotu has described the increasing food crisis situation in the nation as very frustrating.

Speaking in an interview with The Hope, Olotu said people should realise that there is dignity in labour .

His words: “It is the skill we need. We rely mostly on labourers from the Middle Belt to come and work as labourers but they are in the habit of duping people by collecting their money and run back to their villages”

“There is no complete mechanization anywhere in the world, there should still be human component on what can still be done, so how do you work with unwilling hands”.

 Olotu said; “I don’t subscribe to food crisis because price of everything is on the high side.

” When food price crashes in the country, people rejoice, but farmers weep in the process.

“Nobody is subsidizing food production in the country and all the people propounding micro economic and Western theories all over the country are not  aware of  the reality.’

” How many people are talking about poor  rural roads in the communities .

“How many are talking about rural infrastructure and are we really addressing  factors hindering production.

Olotu said stakeholders in agric sector are  working on a proposal to  be presented to the new administration to be looked into with holistic approach towards solving the problems .

He stressed the need to address the structure of the country so that the state will not be experiencing what he called economic development delay as the case of the Ondo Seaport which just got approval 48 hours to the expiration of the last administration, while the state had completed everything since four year ago

He, however advised on the urgent need to change the educational system and reduce emphasis on  paper qualifications as well as bring back the Technical Colleges  for people to acquire skills.

He also urged the  people to be ready to work and learn from those who “Japa”  but not finding it easy to survive over there.

He added that Nigeria is a land of  opportunities and that people should be ready to pay the price for advancement.