Chief Kola Akosile, an official of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), abundant natural and agricultural resources in the South-West geo-political zone were being under-utilised.
“It is worrisome that the region’s resources are yet to be harnessed for the area’s growth and development,” Akosile, who is the association’s National Vice-Chairman, told the Newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan.
While speaking on the upcoming Oodu’a International Trade Fair, he said if the resources were properly harnessed and developed, they would mutually benefit people of the region and Nigeria in general.
“For instance, Oyo State has the largest land mass in the South-West, and if you go to the state’s Oke-Ogun area, the land there can feed the whole of the South-West if it is well harnessed,” Akosile, who is Chairman of the Trade Fair Planning Committee, said.
He also pointed out that there were dams and rivers in Oyo state, Osun and Ekiti which farmers could use for irrigation and reduce their suffering during inadequate rainfall.
”But all these are not being put into proper use.”
Akosile added that there were also mines, marbles, rocks in Oyo state and Ogun.
“Lagos state is a big market and is part of the South-West region, and we can harness the market it has by producing, processing, packaging and exporting most of these resources in the region,” he said.
The Trade Fair Planning Committee Chairman said the Oodu’a International Trade Fair, scheduled for Oct. 18 to Oct. 29 in Ibadan, is a South-West Regional Stakeholders Trade Fair.
”It is being organised by the Oodu’a Chambers of Commerce, Oodu’a Investment Company Limited, the DAWN Commission, the Ooni of Ife and other strategic partners.
“It will hold at the ExpoOyo International Trade Fair Complex in Ibadan, and will focus on agriculture and the region’s natural resources,” he said.
Akosile added that the Trade Fair would provide direct access to markets where prices of commodities would be sold to buyers at cheaper rates.
He pointed out that this would be without the intervention of middlemen and thereby reduce the suffering by several Nigerians during this period of economic hardship.
“Farmers will bring their products and sell directly to customers at reduced prices, lower than what they are getting in the markets.
“We have the South-West Commodity Farmers Association, small-holder women farmers and a lot of others, and we are bringing everybody together to market their products and showcase the region’s rich culture,” the NACCIMA National Vice-Chairman said.
He added that the Trade Fair would offer a lot of opportunities to the region to reorganise and refocus strategies for its development and enhance its revenue generation.
“This Trade Fair will refocus the minds of the governors of states in the region, and the businessmen who are part of the organised private sector, to look at the region’s resources and develop them for the benefit of everybody,” Akosile said.
He disclosed that several of the reseach institutes in Ibadan, such as NISER, IAR&T, NIHORT and CRIN, would bring out their research works to showcase to the people.
”This will be for them to use to better their lives.”
The Newsmen reports that the fair has as its theme “Harnessing Food Security and Natural Resources for Sustainable Development and Wealth Creation”.