Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has warned that the country may slip into recession again if Nigerians fail to invest more in agriculture, increase export and cut down on craze for foreign goods.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, Ogbeh described the nation’s marginal economic growth leading to its recent exit from recession as “too small” but, however, assured that government was not sitting on its oars.
He commended Nigerians for heeding the call of President Muhammadu Buhari to return to the farms, pointing out that agriculture being the biggest employer of labour, contributed greatly to the achievements made so far by the present administration.
“Government is not falling asleep because we got out of recession; the growth is too small still but we thank God we got out. I don’t think Venezuela can say the same thing nor can some other nations we know very close by. We have tried in two years; we have to work even harder than we did to get here and keep moving because the danger is still ahead. “Seven or eight years from now, when major countries announce that they are no longer interested in oil and gas, we may find then that recession may threaten us all over again. So, we have to increase agriculture and export, processing and value addition to make sure we are earning enough” the Minister stated.