By Victor Young

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, Nigeria Institute of Management, NIM, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management in Nigeria, CIPM, and the Lagos Chambers of Commerce & Industry, LCCI, yesterday set agenda for the incoming government.

Specifically, the four economic groups advised the incoming government to focus on agriculture development, blaming  insufficient food in the country on rising insecurity.

At a briefing at briefing in Lagos, on the forthcoming 38th Omolayole Management Lecture Series, slated for Thursday 29 September, leaders of the four institutions lamented that the Russia-Ukraine war created a disruption in the supply chain of critical agricultural products, especially wheat, stressing that the need for sustainable policy on agriculture had become more critical to the world at large.

The annual Omolayole Management Lecture Series was inaugurated 38 years ago in honour of Dr. Michael Omolayole, the doyen of management, industrial and human resources practice in Nigeria, who was also  former president of NECA, NIM, CIPM and LCCI.

Briefing on behalf of the four institutions, President of NECA, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, said this year’s edition, with the theme, “Sustainable Development of the Agriculture Sector for National Well-being” was unique.

Adeniyi said “This year’s edition is unique as there will be a change of government in a few months time. So we want to put in place what the coming government should be looking at, what they can start working with.

‘’You know insufficient food is the reason there is high rate of insecurity. So we choose agriculture as what will be a policy statement for the coming president.

“With the recent upsurge in banditry in the North and some other areas, which has created impediments for farmers going to farm to harvest crops, the importance of agriculture has been further brought to the fore.”

Speaking more on the lecture series, he said it had continued to serve as alternative policy formations for the government over time.

“The event over the years has become a policy advocacy gathering where stakeholders in the Nigerian project meet and discuss critical issues as it concerns the nation. And as new government is coming, we expect the new to take advantage of the outcome of the event to development and move the agriculture sector forward.”