OLUBADAN CHARGES BELGIAN GOVT TO INVEST IN IBADAN

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The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, has urged the Belgian government to invest in Ibadan’s arable land for agricultural development.

Olakulehin provided this advice on Monday while hosting the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt, at the new ultramodern Olubadan Palace, Oke Aremo, in Ibadan, Oyo State.

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Olakulehin, speaking through Ibadanland’s Otun Balogun, Tajudeen Ajibola, stated that there were huge hectares of fertile land in Ibadan that were suitable and available for agricultural development, but that the country needed international partnership finance and support to increase food production.

The monarch named several sites of arable land, such as Egbeda, Ona Ara, Oluyole, Ido, Lagelu, and Akinyele Local Government Areas, respectively, where there is potential for large-scale production of agricultural products in Ibadan territory.

“Kabiesi is happy to receive you and your team this morning. Ibadan is one of the largest cities in Africa.

“We have major resources here in Ibadan. We have vast arable land in Ibadan suitable for agricultural production in large scale quantity.

“Land is available abundantly in Oluyole, Egbeda, Ona Ara, Ido, Lagelu and Akinyele that are suitable for agricultural production. We want you to tap from the opportunity to boost food production, especially at this point in our nation.” He stressed.

Earlier, Leenknegt, who was accompanied by Genco Sanli, Advisor in Economic Diplomacy for Nigeria, Kingdom of Belgium, and Florence Oke, Manager, Resource Mobilisation, Protocol, and External Liaison of IITA, revealed the Belgian government’s activities and interventions in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

During his visit, the Belgian Ambassador stated that his goal was to learn from the Olubadan and the council’s experiences in order to have a successful entry into Nigeria’s agricultural industry.

“We have spent some days at IITA. Agriculture is one of the areas we are working on which is in line with the agenda of the current administration in the country. Cocoa production. We have the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria in Ibadan. Oyo state has been a major producer of cocoa.

“We want to see how we can boost cocoa production in Nigeria and through this we will enhance trade and finance. This brought me to the state.

“So, I am very glad to be here and I will also be glad to have words of wisdom from you that will guide me for a successful tenure in the office,”