The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Wednesday in Osogbo, Osun State capital, said the Federal Government has concluded plans to stop importation of rice into the country by December, 2017.
Ogbeh, who made this disclosure when he paid a courtesy call on the Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, also hinted that the Federal Government was ready to partner with Osun State government in the current process of massive food production as part of the measure to tackle economic recession.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh,
He lamented that it was unfortunate that Nigeria was still spending billions of dollars on food importation, thereby calling for maximum collaboration and partnership between and among the various authorities to revamp agriculture.
Ogbeh maintained that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture had been restructured to meet the nation’s needs on food production so as to bring an end to all forms of food importation, adding that his visit was aimed at solidifying the existing relationship between the Osun State Government and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture on the need to achieve a better agricultural productivity.
According to him, “By December this year, we will stop importation of rice into the country. It is a pity that as a nation we spend about five million dollars on the importation of rice on a daily basis. We have no choice in this country now but to get back to go back to farm and begin to cultivate it so as to be able to free ourselves and the land from poverty because oil and gas can no longer do it.
“Our dreams of big foreign exchange earnings must stop and it is a pity that all our revenue is being spent to service debts. In Osun, there is a lot of potentialities through various crops. Just two crops alone are enough for Osun to make over three billion dollars in a month.
“We have to find extraordinary means to make agriculture work in this country because by 2050 Nigeria’s population would have risen to about 450 million and we have to quickly begin to look for means of being capable to feed ourselves by then,” he remarked.
Ogbeh continued, “If care is not taken, it will be very difficult to finance the debt which the nation owed all in the name of food importation. We have to put a stop to this. We have to rededicate ourselves and look inward in order to chart a new course for our nation. The only feasible alternative we have to cushion the adverse effect of the present economy is for all to go back to farm.
In his remarks, Aregbesola, said there was no aspect of agriculture that his government had not touched, stressing that the present economy has left Nigerians with options of either to develop or destroy, thus calling for massive participation in agriculture.
The governor stated, “An alternative to oil is a quest of all nations. A time is coming when oil will no longer serve the mono-economic that it serves now, thus, Nigeria must come to that grim reality that in 25 years to come, there will not be revenue from oil.”
Quincy Jones, a legendary music producer renowned for his collaborations with iconic artists, passed away on November 4, 2024, at the age of 91.
His publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed the news. Jones’ family released a heartfelt statement, expressing their grief and celebrating his extraordinary life and enduring legacy.
They said,
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing. And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”
They added, “We take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’s heart will beat for eternity.”
Born in Chicago in 1933, Quincy Jones’s lineage was a complex tapestry of history. His mother descended from slave owners, while his father, half-white, was the son of a Welsh slave master and one of his enslaved women.
Jones’s early exposure to music began at home, where his mother’s singing and a neighbour’s piano ignited his passion. At the tender age of seven, he started learning to play the piano.
Following his parents’ divorce, Jones and his father moved to Washington State. There, he joined his high school band, mastering the drums and various brass instruments.
His musical journey took a significant turn at the age of 14 when he began performing in Seattle bars. A remarkable moment arrived in 1948 when he backed Billie Holiday, sharing the stage with a young Ray Charles.
After a brief stint at Seattle University studying music, Jones ventured to Boston to complete his education. His illustrious career, spanning over seven decades, was marked by groundbreaking collaborations with legendary artists.
He worked alongside Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and many others. Indeed, one of his most iconic achievements was producing Michael Jackson’s historic album, “Thriller.”
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