Tapping Nigeria’s huge agricultural potential ‘ll restore lost glory – Osifeso

A fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Surveyors (NIS) and the Managing Director of Mapcotec Nigeria Limited, Surveyor, (Dr.) Segun Osifeso, has said that tapping the country’s huge agricultural potential will not only ensure her development, but will also restore her lost glory in food production. Dr. Osifeso, who made this remark during an interactive session with newsmen on the state of the nation, noted that the country was well endowed with rich and abundant natural resources to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty and hunger, as well as generate foreign earnings for her through agricultural exports. The Mapcotec boss, who attributed the country’s current difficult economic situation to falling oil prices, cut in oil production, lack of fiscal buffers, structural constraints and fuel, electricity and foreign exchange scarcities, pleaded with the people to embrace agriculture, which had continued to contribute significantly to Gross Domestic Products, foreign exchange earnings, employment of the labour and regional economic development across the country. While calling for strategic and serious economic re-engineering of the country through food production, Dr. Osifeso said that enhanced productivity in form of massive industrial manufacturing and agricultural production was one viable option of rescuing the economy and productivity. On the prevailing discussion on the need for a new national mapping, Dr. Osifeso appealed to the government to consider the need for a new national mapping for the entire country, stressing that it will help checkmate all forms of trans-border crimes in the nation’s boundaries. He stated that the nation’s boundaries had become so porous due to non-existence of definite object separating the country from her neighbours, thereby giving room for illegal migrants into the country. Dr. Osifeso further stressed that if the government could give the new mapping the much need attention, it will not only afford government the opportunity to position security agencies at the appropriate places at the nation’s boundaries to checkmate trans-border crimes but would also boost the country’s revenue from direct taxes such as import duties, excise duties, tariffs and export duties. The frontline surveyor further stressed that all efforts must be put in place by relevant government agencies to ensure that the most populous African country reviews her current mapping, which was done in the 70s for a more detailed, incisive and very accurate one, saying that developing countries are expected to do a review of their mapping every 5 years. Dr Osifeso, who lauded the Federal Government in its fight against corruption, however, advised that the government not only needed to see some of the high profile corruption cases completed but also whoever was found guilty should be punished accordingly.