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Former Minister of Works and Housing, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, has urged the Federal Government (FG) to address the escalating cost of food items in the country by creating industrial estates and investing in research.
Ogunlewe made this plea during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, highlighting the significant recent increases in food prices due to a spike in the cost of living across the country.
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In proposing solutions to the situation, Senator Ogunlewe suggested that strategic investments in research and the establishment of industrial estates, similar to those from decades ago, would be instrumental in tackling the issue.
He stated, “We had several industrial estates [then]. That is what the Federal Government has failed to do. Create industrial estates, [where they] do research on all these commodities, and put them out. Over half of what is produced is wasted because they are not processed.”
Senator Ogunlewe expressed concern about the neglect of research in the country, emphasizing its pivotal role in ensuring food security and societal advancement.
He urged the FG to invest more in research, particularly in collaboration with university professors conducting ongoing studies on various commodities.
“There are professors in all our universities that are only researching rice – new varieties of rice; they are researching daily on them,” he said.
Let the Federal Government invest in what we have; we will produce a lot better. But when you don’t invest in research in your country, and you think your country is going to grow, it is very difficult. Invest in them; give them more money for research.”
In the face of public protests over the hardship caused by rising food prices, Senator Ogunlewe called on Nigerians to exercise patience with President Bola Tinubu’s government.
He stated, “We are going to get it. Nigerians should just be patient. Give him time. This hunger will last another three months.”
