By George George Idowu
President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ike Neliaku, has called on Nigerian youths to venture into farming, especially now that food the nation was going through hike in food prices.
Neliaku made this appeal on Wednesday in Masaka, Nasarawa state, during the inauguration of Gentle Real Farms and Kitchen Ltd, an agricultural facility owned by NIPR member, Eugene Ejechi.
Commending Ejechi for the farming initiative, Neliaku emphasized that such efforts would help address food shortages in the country.
He said: “Nigerian youths are very powerful, very creative, and innovative; you have everything working for you; all you need is to take advantage of the numerous potentials our environment offers.
“What this young man has done is very encouraging; I would like to use him to send a very strong message to Nigerian youths. You can be employers of labour, and that is what this young man has demonstrated,” he said.
Similarly, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), praised Ejechi for showcasing the resilience and capability of Nigerian youths.
Ibietan noted that President Bola Tinubu has repeatedly talked about the need to tackle issues of food production due to the rising cost of food and unemployment saying, “Ejechi has symbolically addressed these issues by setting up a farm to boost food supply through organic farming and by employing several people, thereby reducing unemployment.
Dr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, former commissioner of police and Provost of the Police School of Public Relations, also lauded Ejechi for the initiative, highlighting the health benefits of consuming organically produced foods.
Expressing his gratitude, Ejechi attributed his success to the mentorship from the late Chairman of Access Holdings, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, and the support from Dr. Dere Awosika, former chairman of Access Bank.
“Late Wigwe taught me the virtues of resilience and hard work,” he said, thanking Dr. Awosika for her significant role in his farming project’s achievements.