Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has called on Nigerians to curb their excessive appetite for foreign foods and fabrics.The governor stated this on Thursday in Osogbo while playing host to some youths who returned from Germany after two month of training in modern agricultural techniques.
Aregbesola also said that it was more pertinent now to practise birth control as panacea to poverty reduction in this economic recession.
” The reality today is that Nigeria is in economic crisis.
“Apart from the fact that the nation’s economic mainstay, oil, is now cheap on the international market, our production capacity too has reduced significantly due to the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers.
“Besides, we also face food crisis and if we are unable to feed ourselves, then there is problem.
“We believe, as a government, that we must produce what we consume.
“The first panacea out of the food crisis is for us as a people to drastically curb our excessive taste for foreign foods.
“We should patronise our locally produced foods rather than spend huge but scarce foreign exchange on importation of rice.
“Apart form this, now is also the time for our people to practise birth control and control our population.
“This will go in no small measure in reducing poverty in the land”.
Aregbesola said the state government decided to send the youths for the agriculture programme to boost food productions in the state.
He said the youths would impact positively on the mode of agricultural practice in the state boost food production.
The governor who promised that government would assist the youths financially according to its capacity, advised them not to fold their hands until such assistance comes.