Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has challenged the newly inaugurated state’s Economic Advisory Council to guide the state into prosperity by tapping into the abundant human and mineral resources available in the state.
Speaking at the virtual meeting held to Inaugurate the members, Bello said they were carefully selected based on their pedigree and track record, saying their main responsibility is to work with the state to “open new doors of opportunities towards economic diversification”
The Governor said the way out for the nation is to go back to the days of an agricultural boom as well as devise a way of optimizing the abundant mineral resources.
Governor Bello said Agriculture was the pride of the nation before the discovery of oil, in the 60s, but since then, Nigeria has completely neutralized the gains in agriculture and also stalled the progress in other sectors.
He also said crude oil in Nigeria, is suffering declining relevance and may actually become extinct or become completely irrelevant with time in the face of improvements in renewable energy alongside environmental concerns.
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The Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council, Aliyu Salami while responding on behalf of the other members, thanked the Governor and promised to hit the ground running and change the fortunes of the state for good.
This is the first time Kogi is bringing together an export-oriented team to chart a roadmap towards economic development.
The inauguration was coordinated by the Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Ayoade, and other top government officials including Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Asiwaju Idris Ashiru.
Editor-Oloyede Oworu
