Traditional ruler urges Nigerians to engage in farming

A traditional ruler, Alhaji Usman Umbugadu, has advised Nigerians to go back to farming to enable the country to achieve food sufficiency and economic growth.
Umbugadu, the Aren Akun of Akun chiefdom in in Nasarawa State, made the call on Wednesday in an interview with newsmen in Akun.
He said that the call had become imperative in view of the importance of agriculture to the socio-economic development of the country.
The traditional ruler stressed that agriculture was a potent way of overcoming the current recession in the country.
“As the 2017 farming season is approaching, there is need for people to embrace agriculture by returning to farms, as no society can live comfortably without agriculture.
“Agriculture is the major source of livelihood of many families; therefore, its importance in the life of a nation cannot be over emphasised.
“If the youths and other Nigerians go back to the farm, it will not only reduce Nigeria’s overdependence on oil but it will also fight poverty, unemployment and the present economic challenges in the country,’’ he said.
Umbugadu, however, underscored the need for all Nigerians to promote peace across the nation so as to achieve speedy development in the country, adding that peace was the essential requirement for the growth of any nation.
“Our role is to preach peace; we should also ensure that people live in peace and tolerate one another, irrespective of their ethnic, religious and political affiliation.
“This is because no meaningful development could be achieved in any society without peace, as peace is priceless and non-negotiable; it is the necessary requirement for the development of any nation,” he said.
Umbugadu commended his people for the peace in the community and urged them to strive harder to enhance development in the area.
He also advised his subjects and other Nigerians to be law-abiding, while respecting constituted authorities in the interest of peace and national development.
He particularly urged the citizens to support the good policies and programmes of government in order to bring about the overall development of the country.