Vice-President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, has emphasised the critical role of agribusiness in the nation’s economic transformation.
He made the remark yesterday during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ijaiye Agribusiness Industrial Hub, held at the Akinyele Local Government in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The initiative, part of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, aimed to enhance agricultural productivity and create job opportunities across the region.
Shettima, represented by Senator Abubakar Kyari, praised the Oyo State Government for its commitment to agricultural development and food security.
“This project will unlock vast potentials and create opportunities for Oyo State residents,” he stated, highlighting the importance of collaboration between the state and the federal government.
The Vice-President underscored that Nigeria’s future lies in transforming agricultural resources into value-added products.
“We must harness our agribusiness capabilities to enhance industries, generate employment, and uplift our farmers,” he remarked.
The vice president reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to supporting Oyo State in becoming a key agricultural hub.
In his remark, Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, described the hub as a pivotal element of the Oyo State Roadmap for Sustainable Development (2023-2027).
“This is a groundbreaking event,” he declared, asserting that the hub will reposition agriculture as a commercial force, creating jobs and attracting investments.
He expressed confidence that the Ijaiye hub would replicate the success of the Fasola Agro-Industrial Hub, which has already transformed the local economy.
Makinde stated, “Today is about promises kept. When we launched the Oyo State Roadmap for Sustainable Development, we made a clear commitment to reposition agriculture as a centrepiece of our economic transformation, not as a subsistence activity, but as a commercial force for creating jobs, attracting investments, and securing food systems.”
“This groundbreaking of this special agro-industrial processing hub at Atan-Ijaiye is a strategic step on that journey of sustainable development.”
He added, “I have 22 months to go. No matter what, when you are being sworn in, one day it will end. But, because we don’t want to shortchange the people of Oyo State, we’ll continue to serve them until the last hour of the last day in office.”
The governor highlighted the successes of previous hubs, saying, “The Fasola Agro-Industrial Hub has changed the local economy from poverty to prosperity.”
“I am confident that the new agribusiness hub in Ijaiye will also be a success story.These hubs are not standalone structures.”
“They are deliberately designed as interconnected anchors of our agribusiness ecosystem. They bring producers closer to processors and link farms to markets.”
While speaking at the event, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, commended Governor Makinde’s leadership, stating, “You are an exemplary governor.”
“The Fasola hub has attracted over N11.1 billion in private sector investments, demonstrating the model’s effectiveness.”
He emphasised the crucial role of agribusiness in Nigeria’s economic growth and the need for substantial investments to achieve food security.
Adesina noted, “Agriculture is the backbone for transforming Nigeria. I do believe that Nigeria can and must be a global powerhouse in agriculture. Food is important.”
“When you have cheap food, people are happy, everybody can eat, the citizens are happy and there’s peace and security in the country, but you need investments to be able to do that; investments from the public sector, investments from the private sector.”
He elaborated on the significance of the agro-industrial processing zones, stating, “To be able to do that, you also need industrial platforms that will connect primary production all the way to how you store products and how you process and add value.”
Other speakers at the event, including former Oyo State Military Governor, General Oladayo Popoola (ret’d); Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal, and various state officials united in their support for the new agribusiness hub, which is expected to create over 100,000 jobs and support the livelihoods of more than 500,000 farmers in the state.
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