Poor Performance of Agric Sector Responsible For Nigeria’s Economic Crisis – Prof. Ayodele

By Gbenga Sodeinde In Ado Ekiti

The dismal performance of the agricultural sector is both an outcome and cause of the economic crisis in Nigeria, Prof. Olufemi Julius Ayodele of Ekiti State University, has said.

He made the assertion at the university campus auditorium, Ekiti State University, (EKSU), Ado Ekiti while delivering the 71st inaugural lecture titled:”Fertile Nigeria, Infertile Soils and Fertilizers: A tractable Nexus or Contradictions?”

The Professor of Soil Fertility Management said the food and export crops in which there are comparative advantages suffered decades of neglect even as the recovery prospects are low despite a transformation agenda through which the country would become of the leading 20 economies by 2020.

He observed that although the political and structural reforms could have delayed the crisis but not its elimination as the contributions of environmental constraints and lack of appropriate technical solutions to them weigh more.

In order to remedy the situation, Prof. Ayodele recommended that: Appropriate technologies for land and soil water management, mechanization and soil fertility management meant to protect the soil resources from degradation must be developed to ensure their long term use and sustain high crop yields,

“The poor soil nutrient status and its rapid depletion, especially under continuous cultivation, make fertilizer use essential for high crop yields but the supply deficits and numerous physical and economic hurdles which prevent easy access to products in the desired quantities must be removed.

“The urea –based nitrogenous plants being installed at Eleme and Brass are desirable results of the gas industrialization initiative and should be completed to provide urea for direct use and raw material for NPK blending operations”

According to him, the chemical fertilizers are products of as much as they encourage and produce research and development (R&D) and that the fertilizer industry in Nigeria is deficient in the knowledge of engineering processes and development of equipment manufacturing facilities.

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He said the framework for R&D to play important role in Nigeria’s fertilizer industry must be to encourage laboratories in research institutions and universities to set aside resources to tackle fertilizer-related problems, initiate and fund research that would generate interest of personnel in academic institutions on fertilizer topic by the industry

He stated further that the industry must encourage or sponsor research personnel to visit and study production facilities, for necessary greater interaction and appreciation of the issues that require urgent solutions in fertilizer manufacture and use.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Edward Olanipekun who was represented at the event by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Professor Joseph Babatola

Commended the presenter of the lecturer for his well researched job, saying it was outstanding.

“You will agree with me that Professor Olufemi Julius Ayodele Is indeed a worthy professor of Soil Fertility Management, he has showcased his scholarship, and told us his experiences both outside the university and within the university

“Ladies and gentlemen, you don’t expect less from a successful farmer and researcher like Professor Olufemi Julius Ayodele. In saying bye bye to poverty and food shortage and ensuring that there is stability in the kitchen and the fertility of the soil.

” Then our survival, my survival, your own survival depends on the soil then the soil must not be spoiled, the soil must be sustained. Therefore there is need to nourished the fertile content so that our survival will not be jeopardized”. The Vice Chancellor added

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