Sustainable agricultural development and national food security would be the focus this year as experts and stakeholders gather in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, for the 38th Omolayole Management Lecture Series (OMLS).
The event slated for Thursday, September 29, at NECA House, is in honour of Michael Omolayole, a renowned management expert. It is being organised by four organisations where Omolayole served at different times as president. They include Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Chartered Institution of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPMN) Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), with the International Association of Students in Economics and Commercial Sciences (AIESEC) serving as the secretariat of the lecture series.
Taiwo Adeniyi, president of NECA, at a news conference in Lagos alongside other stakeholders of the OMLS, said the issue of banditry in different parts of Nigeria which constitutes impediments to farming and harvest of crops, has made it imperative for Africa’s biggest economy to pay attention to the agriculture if it is to continue to feed its large population.
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This, according to Adeniyi, informed the choice of the theme of the 38th Omolayode’s lecture series, which is “sustainable development of the agriculture sector for national wellbeing”.
The NECA boos, who also cited the effect of the Russia-Ukraine war, and the disruption of the global supply chain of critical agricultural products, especially wheat, noted that more than ever before, Nigeria at this time needs to develop a national policy on agriculture. He said these will form part of the discussions at this year’s lecture, with Muda Yusuf, a former LCCI director-general, as the guest speaker.
“As the year 2022 winds down and we approach the election year, 2023, it is instructive to state that all hands must be on deck, not only to ensure sustainable development of our agricultural sector but also, an inclusive development of our nation,” said Adeniyi.
