Oyo State Government has developed a robust and strategic plan to guide the adoption of agriculture as a viable pillar for (more…)

This afternoon, Gov. Seyi Makinde flagged off the Youths (more…)

Today, Gov. Seyi Makinde inaugurated the project monitoring committee for Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (more…)

This afternoon, Gov. Seyi Makinde visited the farm settlement at Akufo for an on-the-spot assessment. The Governor in his address during the visit hinted on plans to transform the farm settlement into a Farm estate. He made it known that the current administration is not relenting on leveraging on the comparative advantage in agriculture, which is one of the four major pillars which the current administration is resting upon to boost the economy of the State.

He further stated that a private firm has been using the facility to produce tomatoes, pepper etc through green house facility.

The Governor pointed out that the gap between production and demand is huge and the State Government would step in so as to meet up with the demands of local markets and exports.

Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has signed the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) (more…)

Oyo State Government through has said it was ready to partner with the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) in its drive towards industrializing the economy of Oyo State through agricultural revolution.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Ojemuyiwa Ojekunle  disclosed this while playing host to NIHORT governing board, led by its chairman, Major General Muhammad. Garba (Rtd) at his office at on Monday in Ibadan.

Ojekunle stated that NIHORT has always proffered solutions to agricultural issues as a research institution in the country, adding that the present administration was ready to explore all opportunities to foster mutual collaboration and cooperation towards a successful agric policy implementation in the state.

Hon. Ojekunle said that the economy of Oyo State under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde placed a high priority on Agricultural development as a key strategy to industrialize the state economy while creating jobs for the unemployed and opening up the state to the rest of the world for critical  investments.

“We are happy to declare our readiness to go into partnership with NIHORT towards fostering our desired agricultural revolution in the State, we recognize the impact of the research institution on the nation’s economy and in sustaining the drive to banish hunger.

“It is part of the promise made by the Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde to revive the State’s economy and engage  a substantial percentage of our youths in agriculture, this is being done as we speak.

“Adequate funding of mechanized farming is the target, it has started and we will not look back,” he maintained.

Ojemuyiwa declared that the present administration was on a mission to make Oyo State economically strong and viable without having to depend on oil proceeds to develop its critical sectors, adding that the determination to take Oyo State to an enviable height among other States of the federation in terms of revenue and employment generation was made clear by Governor Makinde from the onset.

The Chairman of NIHORT governing board, Major General Muhammad Garba who led the delegation of NIHORT board executives and other top officials to the commissioner’s office thanked him for receiving them on behalf of the Governor and added that the visit was a courtesy call and to seek ways of mutual collaboration and cooperation towards successful implementation of Agricultural development in the State and by extension, Nigeria.

He said that the institute was committed to agricultural development in Nigeria which was the reason it went into partnership with all States of the federation.

He said that President Buhari has consistently propagated agricultural development as an alternative to oil and the Federal Government was working towards achieving the feat, adding that the agriculture agenda of Oyo State Government was in line with the mandate of the institute, which necessitated the visit.

Hon. Wasiu Olatunbosun

Hon. Commissioner for Information,

Culture & Tourism,

Ibadan.

Oyo State Government has charged the Butchers’ Association of Nigeria, Oyo State chapter to ensure strict compliance with the State Government directive to members to operate mainly at Government designated center at the central abattoir, Akinyele Local Government in Ibadan.

The Government added that the directive was in the best interest of the general public that consume meats on daily basis without knowing the source or the process that produced the meats for consumption.

The disclosure was made at the weekend during a stakeholders meeting, organized by the State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the State Secretariat in Ibadan.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Ojemuyiwa Jacob Ojekunle while addressing the Stakeholders Stated that the State Government was interested in the well-being of the people which necessitated the need for enforcement of environmental and hygienic process of what the people consume.

“The regulations guiding butchering and meat processing in the State are in place, so is the law that every butcher must do this at the central abattoir at Akinyele until other ones are in place.

“The health and well-being of the people of the people are paramount to the Government and we will not joke with the adherence, nobody should violate this, it is for our own good.”

He stated that the State has food vendors scattered across the State and it is important to ensure that meat supplies into the society by members of butchers association are produced under the most hygienic condition to guarantee safety of all consumers adding that it is for this reason Oyo State Government has made provision for the central abattoir at Akinyele for the operations of the butchers.

The Government has been engaging members of the butchers association in the State in a bid to ensure safety of its citizens but a breakaway faction of the association known as Active Butchers has not complied with the directive which has raised Government concerns about proper regulation of the association.

“Strict compliance to the directive is important as it will among other things help the State Government manage data of the market operators in order to block all financial leakages emanating from saboteurs who would not comply with Government directives,” he added.

Hon. Wasiu Olatunbosun, PhD.,

Hon. Commissioner, 

Min. of Information, Culture & Tourism,

Oyo State Government has reiterated its resolve to use agricultural business and potentials to empower citizens and banish hunger as the world celebrated 2019 World Food Day.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. Hon Ojemuyiwa Ojekunle made the assertion during the Annual Celebration of World Food Day during the weekend at the Western Hall, Secretariat, Ibadan organized by Oyo State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Ojekunle disclosed that in order to ensure food security, alleviate poverty and create job employment in the State, the Government has put all machinery in place for several innovative programs, such as capacity building, empowerment, rehabilitation of rural roads and creation of access to credit facilities.

“There is no need repeating the fact that hunger is reigning especially among the common people and overtime we have seen figures of people under the poverty net but the present administration in the State came in with the resolve to banish poverty and hunger through the use of commercialized agriculture that will engage youths and put food on the table of the average citizen.

“You must have seen the strides since the administration started, all efforts have been geared towards securing lives and property of our people, create enabling environment for small-scale businesses as well as big time investors to thrive while our youths will be gainfully employed.

“Among other areas of interest, agriculture is the most viable and we are working hard to harness the potentials for these benefits as we are all going to benefit from it, this Government is not for the wealthy but for all, that is why the Governor insists on people-oriented policies that will benefit not just the common man, but all strata of the society,” he assured.

He stated further that the plan of the present administration was to industrialize Oyo State into a leading commercial hub through agricultural revolution stressing that potentials and opportunities in opening up around the State to the rest of world in terms of investment in the agricultural sector was limitless.

The Commissioner appealed to farmers in the State to brace up and increase their production because financial facility that would enable farmers meet Government expectations has been put in place, enjoining all farmers and stakeholders to reciprocate the commitment of the present administration by keying into the economic recovery plan of the Government in order to attain a zero hunger society with boundless employment opportunities.

In his goodwill message, the State Governor, Eng.Seyi Makinde, who was represented by his deputy Eng. Rauf Olaniyan promised his Government would train and re-train youths and also empower them to reduce unemployment in the State.

He urged the farmers especially youths to be hardworking as Government has so many developmental program in the pipeline for their development.

Other dignitaries present at the event were the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Right Hon. Debo Ogundoyin, Chairman House Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. P. G. Ojedokun, honorable members of the committee on agriculture, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Pastor. Victor Atilola, representative of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Traditional rulers, leaders of farmers associations in Oyo State among others.

Hon. Wasiu Olatunbosun, PhD.,

Hon. Commissioner, 

Min. of Information, Culture & Tourism,

Oyo State Government.

Oyo State Government has set a target of hitting 20 billion naira monthly Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) before the end of (more…)

Oyo State Government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development has stated its plan to key into the cashless policy of  the Central Bank of Nigeria and Federal Government to foster financial security in the State.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Ojemuyiwa Ojekunle stated that the cashless policy as proposed by the Federal Government was a welcome development which he believed would enhance financial security in the State and protect individuals against dangers associated with movement of physical cash for the purpose of financial transactions.

At an official opening of a two day training on Cashless economy in Nigeria and volunteerism in Rural Finance Institution of Nigeria (RUFIN) which was  held in Ibadan, the Honorable Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Peter Adegunwa emphasized the need for physical cash security in the State and the country at large as the State Government continued to push forward on its drive to revolutionize Oyo State economy through agriculture.

He noted that the determination of Governor Makinde, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, to re-position the State into a commercial hub in Africa involved transactions in physical cash in large volume within the economy which he said would not be financially healthy, considering the security situations in the country.

“Oyo State Government has keyed into the cashless policy of the Federal Government through the Central Bank because of its benefit in reducing to barest minimum, the risk of hauling large volume of physical cash in a country that is suffering from high level of insecurity.

“It is even more important for us in the State to make the cashless policy our watchword because of the State’s special interest in using agriculture our route to financial freedom, where the State will be injecting enormous funding and creating mass employment for the teeming youths population,” he noted.

Mr. Ogundare Emmanuel Olusola who was the State’s Rural Finance Institution Building (RUFIN) program coordinator stated that the training was laudable and timely because the could could not afford to lag behind in the face of information technology-induced economic advancement in the world.

He stated that the feedback from field reports over the years indicated that the era of individual borrowing was over, stressing that group borrowings to finance potentially viable businesses has become the norm among micro-finance operators, noting that RUFIN was more concerned about growth and sustainability of businesses than just providing access for financial instruments through lending houses.

Hon. Wasiu Olatunbosun, PhD.,

Hon. Commissioner, 

Min. of Information, Culture & Tourism,

Oyo State Government.