Onome Amuge
The Nigeria Young Farmers Network (NYFN) has demanded that a state of emergency be declared on the high level of unemployment, insecurity, hunger, poverty and other grievous vices befalling the country.
At the rally organised by members of NYFN tagged “#60yearslater: The journey of Agriculture and Youth Development” in commemoration of the country’s 60th independence anniversary, the organisation, with placards carried by its members, charged governments at all levels to consider investing in agriculture amidst the challenges of poverty and food insecurity. They also called on the government to use the 60th independence anniversary as an opportunity to adopt new policies that would help the country overcome its worrisome challenges.
Promise Amahah, director general and national coordinator of the organisation, while addressing the crowd, bemoaned the growing insecurity, hunger and dwindling job opportunities, which he blamed on the government’s failure to capitalise on the potential in agriculture through youth engagement.
Amahah stated that one of the major aims of the organisation is to unlock and unleash the prospects of youth engagement in agriculture and create wealth for all through its resources and help build a prosperous nation where peace and development shall reign.
According to him, the NYFN is prepared to take over the country’s agricultural sector by stimulating and accelerating agricultural development across all the wards, local governments and 36 states of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.
He emphasised that agriculture in the modern world is a big business that is indispensable to the economy and young people are critical in actualising the set goal. He also challenged the government to take the agricultural sector.
“Henceforth, we declare total war on unemployment, hunger, on insecurity, on every vice that is confronting us as a country. 60 years later, we are here to say that yes, we can make the country great again,” he stated.
Mohammed Bashir, a federal government representative, urged the youths to support the government in its determination to bring a new lease of life to the country through the promotion of agriculture. He maintained that the government is concerned with mobilising youths for agriculture as youth empowerment is one of the key agenda of the government.
