Stop pursing vain glory, take turns to the profitable Agricultural Business-Bishop Oyejola advises Nigerian youths.

Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo and legal holder of the justice Development and Peace Makers’ Centre of Osogbo, Most Rev. John Akin Oyejola has charged Nigerian Youths to embrace farming as an alternative livelihood instead of dragging the country’s reputation into the murky water of disgrace through shady deals and sharp practices.

The Osogbo Diocesan prelate noted this at the 25^th Anniversary of the Rural Development Programme (RUDEP) and Annual Farmers’ Forum of the Sustainable Farmers Association of the Justice Development and Peace Makers’ Centre, (JDPMC) Osogbo held in Oke-Ayepe Osogbo.

According to him “the crime rates are now alarming in Nigeria which more often than attributed to the unemployment but, to me, it will be more beneficial the Nigerian youths take turns to the profitable farming system rather than damaging the hard earned reputation of the country through internet frauds which our founding fathers had built over the years by a dint of hard work,

If you pay a fly visit to the developed countries of the world today, most rich people are farmers who faithfully practising it in a modern day style; I believe that it is not too much if Nigerian youths can a take cue from this. It is crucial they do before they reduce Nigeria to nothing among comity of nations,” he concluded. 

Speaking the Osun state commissioner for Rural Development and Community Affairs, Mr.Oladimeji Adesegun represented by Mrs.Bamidele Akinola expressed the State Government’s passion to turn the agricultural and rural potentials of the state into a common wealth for all in the state while giving kudos to the Rural Development Programme of the JDPMC and catholic mission as a whole for making efforts to equate the lives of the rural dwellers to the standard of the urban centre.

In his remark, the General Coordinator of the Justice Development and Peace Makers’ Centre Osogbo, Rev.Fr.Peter Akinkunmi said that twenty-five years of the Rural Development Programme’s interventions had paid off and made landmark impacts of multiplier effects in terms of creation of peaceful co-existence between the Herders and rural Farmers, prevention of worse climatic condition and food security system.

“The purpose of today’s Anniversary is to identify and recognize the fruitful efforts of the RUDEP, one of the great arms of our Organization JDPMC for the journey of life-changing interventions it had embarked on so far and ultimately our rural farmers who did not allow the knowledge transferred to be a labour loss. RUDEP’s efforts had made huge positive impacts, the evidence is what you could see in the Documentary presented” he confirmed.

Corroborating, the programme Supervisor of the Rural Development Prrogramme of the JDPMC, Mrs.Onaolapo Morenike “the overall goal of our Organization is to give holistic development to the humanity irrespective of Age, Sex, Race or colour and we will not deter in giving the best to our targeted beneficiaries as underscored in scope of our operation until development cuts across,” She said.

The Annual farmers’ Forum afforded key stakeholders in the agricultural sector especially the participants present at the occasion to bare their minds on the challenges facing Agricultural business in Nigeria, way forward on its possible economic Viability, presentation of Certificate Awards and farm inputs to the outstanding Farmers as well as cutting of the Cake.