Otti Moves To Harness Abia’s Agricultural Potential, Targets Food Exportation

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has unveiled plans to leverage the state’s agricultural potential to speed up industrialisation, attain meals sufficiency and set up Abia as a web exporter of agricultural produce.

The governor additionally introduced the formation of a steering committee, which he’ll chair, composed of representatives of the Abia State Government, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), PAYAZA Africa Limited and different related stakeholders.

The committee is anticipated to develop a workable framework for exploiting the state’s comparative benefits in agriculture and figuring out alternatives for sustainable agricultural improvement.

Governor Otti disclosed this in the course of the third Michael Okpara Memorial Lecture Series held at MOUAU, Umudike.

The governor, who lately returned from Ethiopia, the place he accompanied Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, to the inaugural Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum, careworn the significance of mixing the agricultural imaginative and prescient of the late Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, former Premier of the defunct Eastern Region, with trendy expertise to drive financial development.

He defined that the proposed committee would determine agricultural commodities during which Abia enjoys a comparative benefit and advocate the mandatory investments, infrastructure and technological improvements to rework them into viable industrial ventures.

“I want us to start with Ulonna farm settlements. We may not go back to what Michael Okpara did in his days.

“We want to take it to this level now, where we introduce technology, and we don’t only want to be self-sufficient in food production; we want to be a net exporter of food from Abia State,” Otti acknowledged.

Welcoming the visitor lecturer’s proposal for the institution of an Agricultural Technology Hub at MOUAU, Governor Otti described the initiative as constant together with his administration’s imaginative and prescient of expertise pushed agriculture.

He subsequently invited the visitor lecturer to affix the steering committee to contribute to the event and implementation of the state’s agricultural plans.

Speaking on the occasion, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council, Comrade Fidelis Edeh, praised Governor Otti for his efficiency and consistency in governance.

He famous that the governor had remained within the political occasion underneath which he was elected and had demonstrated that efficient governance was achievable.

Edeh added that the legacy of the late Dr. Michael Okpara serves as a reminder that management requires braveness, integrity, sacrifice and a dedication to public service.

“True leadership is demonstrated through courage, integrity, sacrifice, unity, and tangible contributions to society, not merely through longevity in office or the positions one occupies,”Edeh acknowledged.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of MOUAU, Professor Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, stated the late Dr. Okpara’s imaginative and prescient illustrated the capability of agriculture to advertise financial prosperity, industrial improvement, employment creation and social progress by means of strategic investments in analysis, schooling, rural improvement and infrastructure.

She famous that bearing the title of the previous Premier was each a privilege and a critical accountability for the college, stressing that the establishment should uphold his legacy by means of the standard of its graduates, the relevance of its analysis and its contributions to agricultural development.

“Our task is to move beyond commemoration to action, translating his ideals into practical solutions that address contemporary challenges,” she stated.

Professor Akanwa described the lecture theme, “Leveraging Technology in Agriculture: Building Digital Rails for Food Security, Agro-Enterprise and Financial Inclusion,” as related to the current realities of agriculture, significantly as rising applied sciences create alternatives to enhance manufacturing and improve farmers’ livelihoods.

She additional acknowledged that the college’s priorities have been aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Governor Otti’s agricultural reforms, significantly relating to meals safety, industrial farming, elevated productiveness and the event of sustainable agricultural worth chains.

The Chairman of the event and oil magnate, Prince Engr. Dr. Arthur Eze, represented by Prince Dr. Emeka Eze, described Governor Otti as an excellent determine and a number one consultant of up to date Igbo management.

“He is the only leader resembling the man we are celebrating today,” he stated.

Prince Eze famous that Dr. Okpara remodeled the previous Eastern Region into an industrial centre, generated employment alternatives for younger folks and supplied management guided by sturdy convictions.

He described the late Premier as a person of remarkable character who believed that governance ought to give attention to growing folks fairly than merely distributing cash, urging leaders and residents to emulate his ideas.

In his memorial lecture, the visitor lecturer, Mr. Seyi Ebenezer, urged Nigerians, significantly younger folks, to embrace a brand new understanding of agriculture by incorporating expertise, digital innovation and trendy enterprise fashions into the sector.

He inspired college students and aspiring entrepreneurs to discover rising alternatives in drone expertise, automated irrigation techniques, synthetic intelligence, algorithmic credit score scoring, supply-chain logistics and cross border monetary expertise to enhance agricultural productiveness and profitability.