The reality of the times we live in is that the economy is not smiling. That is the lingo many of us have become used to. When translated from Yoruba, it is “the streets are not smiling”. Ask the man on the street how things are and you’ll hear him respond with “Igboro o rerin”.
When the federal government was ushered in with pomp and fanfare last May, many had their hopes renewed. There were sky high expectations from the citizenry that things would finally look up for the common man. Many were unrealistic in their expectations while a few who were not carried away called for cautious optimism.
One year down, the effects of the hard work by the various arms of government to restore the lost glory of the country is starting to be visible. This vindicates the overwhelming support that the majority of Nigerians gave to the barely one-year old government.
Government has set about its responsibility, tackling the issues at hand one by one. Despite the mudslinging and a lot of name calling by the set of people who have found themselves in the opposition, the government is taking bold steps and results are gradually showing in various sectors.
Sadly, however, the level of decay is not one that can be sorted with a quick fix. This has made government take decisions that are seen as unpopular but which in actual fact are going to bear fruits and make everyone happy in due course. Sacrifices have to be made to get the country working again. The effect of this is that there may be some drop in the standard of living of citizens of our great country, albeit for a short time.
The question to ask is what do we do in times like these? What do we do to make life a bit better for ourselves as individuals in these trying times?
The truth is that the present situation can make one tired of how everything is going. This means if the right motivation is not found to keep trudging on and making efforts, there is the tendency to just lie down and let life treat one as it deems fit.
To rise above the same song of “the streets are not smiling” that many of the citizenry sing, steps have to be taken. Each individual has to be able to think outside the box and make things happen for him or herself. There is the need for an extra income stream to shore up whatever comes into the purse. These, however, will work for those who see opportunities in the present economic travails.
In these days of irregular salaries, high inflation, very high unemployment rate and the like, those who have the will and drive to make a fortune out of the quagmire we have found ourselves can actually make it happen. How to make that happen is the main thing.
Governments at different levels now preach involvement in agriculture. They tell us that agriculture is the new crude oil and a money spinner. What those who are encouraging us to go into agriculture have failed to let many of us know is that it is a mixed grill. They have scratched the surface and have revealed gold; they have, however, not told many of us the process that led to the formation of the gold. Many have jumped into agriculture and have run out like someone chased by a colony of bees. Those who escaped are only lucky; because many have sunk everything they have in it and have come out with little or nothing to show for their investments.
A little background check will reveal that agriculture has different branches which are all profitable to those involved. There is the agronomy part which deals with plants and there is the very popular animal production aspect. Of the agronomy part, there is the food crop production, the ornamental plant production and there is the cash crop production. In the animal production aspect, there is poultry, piggery, ruminant animal production, aquaculture, feed milling and production aspect, among many others.Finance is an integral part of any agricultural enterprise. In fact, without financial inputs, nothing is possible in agriculture. It is not always very easy to go into cattle production in the southern part of the country. To go into the field of agriculture, there is the need for expertise.
There is the possibility of the investment into agriculture becoming the investor’s main income source as the years roll by. This is because of the fact that consumables will always sell, no matter the economic climate.
Many agricultural products are industrial raw materials. This goes to say that no matter the branch of agriculture that the main investment is made in, there is the generation of equally profitable by-products.
All I am saying is that care must be taken before investing in agriculture as attention shifts away from oil as the main source of income generation from the government.
- Taiyese Ebunlomo
Obantoko, Abeokuta Ogun State.
