NEPC boss tasks FG on development of non-oil sector
By Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has advised the federal government to diversify the Nigerian economy into non-oil resources that have renewable opportunities.
The NEPC Executive Director, Olusegun Awolowo gave the advice at a workshop on the implementation of one state one product (OSOP) value-chain export promotion held in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.
Awolowo, who was represented by the Trade Promotion Adviser and Deputy Director of the council in Ogun state, Samson Idowu reprimanded the federal government for focusing on crude oil as major means of revenue generation for the nation.
He said that Nigeria’s over-dependence on oil has no doubt hindered her economic growth; therefore, there was need for diversification.
Awolowo equally wondered why the country is depending on oil “which is losing its value everyday,” adding that the economy could only thrive on dependence on non-oil resources like agriculture, solid mineral amongst others.
“We are depending on oil and oil is losing its potency we cannot afford to continue to depend on oil that its value is depreciating day by day, so let’s look at other resources that have renewable opportunity.
“We are blessed with other resources like agricultural resources. In agric itself, there are so many commodity that have global importance. Taking for instance, Cocoa alone, the annual global value of cocoa is in essence of billion and this can yield a lot of revenue for us. Same with cassava, coffee and other Agricultural commodity that we have.
“Today’s event is to sensitise, build the capacity of different components of the committee so that they can be aware of their roles and function well in carrying out the role of having economy diversified.”
The NEPC boss appealed to the FG to create an enabling environment for processing of agricultural products so as to encourage sales of such products in the international market.
The State’s Commissions for Agriculture, Dr. Samson Odedina who also spoke at the event applauded the Council, stressing that the state government has, since the emergence of Governor Dapo Abiodun, been tapping into the enormous opportunity in the agricultural sector.
Odedina advised that if the country could explore the opportunities in the agricultural sector and other non- oil sector to the narrative of country’s faltering economy will be a thing of the past.
