By Francis Akinnodi

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Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has called on youths in the country to venture into entrepreneurship and agribusiness in order to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s economic growth and development.

Akeredolu who made this call in Akure, said it was time youths to defy all odds and shine with their innovations and creative geniuses.

He said government at all levels must encourage youths, particularly, young farmers to go back to farming and to increase the country’s exportation in order to reduce poverty among youths.

Also speaking, South-West Zonal Coordinator of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Shode Olukayode urged youths to focus on agribusiness and entrepreneurship in order to reduce the alarming rate of unemployment in the country.

He said youth with innovative ideas would be encouraged with financial and technical support through entrepreneurship training.

According to him, “SMEDAN was established to train and empower youths with creative ideals in business to develop. Our empowerment programme was a yearly programme and Federal Government initiative to support cooperative organisations.”

He said, “FG and state governments are working restlessly to encourage people to go back to farming because this is what has been sustained Nigeria before the emergence of oil.

“Now that oil has failed us, we must go back to the farm so that we can increase our export. Lack of exportation is what is affecting Nigeria naira today.”

An Akure based business expert, Gbenga Obaweya however urged the Federal Government not to relent on programmes that would improve the development of businesses so that poverty would become a thing of the past and youths could take agribusiness as a job instead of looking for white cola jobs.