Success Nwogu 
…Nigerians consume N6trillion worth of food monthly – Manufacturer
…Africa For Africa Youth Initiative Inaugurated
Former presidential candidate, Prof Pat Utomi; a manufacturer, Dr Benjamin Ubido; a former member of the National Assembly, Barrister Sergius Ogun and Executive Director of the Africa for Africa Youth Initiative, Pastor Henry Akasili, have said that Nigeria and Africa, in general, can be prosperous.
They also urged the youths and the government to be committed to nation building and have the fear of God.
They spoke during the inauguration of Africa For Africa Youth Initiative in Lagos, according to a statement issued on Saturday.
Africa for Africa Youth Initiative is a faith-based non-governmental organisation whose core focus is on providing pertinent solutions to the socio-economic and socio-political problems of Africa through the creation, development and strategic implementation of novel ideas.
“It also includes the provision of platforms of expression, empowerment and cross pollination of relevant ideas for young Africans with a systematic re-education of the young African mind to take up responsibility and become active participants in our pursuit of socio-economic and socio-political advancement.
Utomi, who spoke virtually, also called for a positive change of value, strong and functional institutions to make Nigeria prosperous again.
He said: “It is easy for our country to become a very prosperous country. But two clear things define how you make profit. For one is the value system. Value shapes human progress.
“The second are the institutions which set boundaries for acceptable conducts. In both dimensions or areas, our country is if ailing terribly. So how do we create a culture where work ethics, the dignity of the human person, where personal integrity matters so much. In creating that kind of culture, we can recreate and renew our country.”
Akasili commended the Founder of the Africa for Africa Youth Initiative, Rev Chris Oyakhilome for the initiative. He stated that Oyakhilome has inspired them to make significant changes to their world.
He said: “It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the Constitutional Governance Conference. We are gathered here today with a shared purpose: to discuss the future of Africa and to build a path that will help us reach the Africa we want.
“As we all know, Africa is rich in resources, talent, and potential. Yet, we still face many challenges due to policies and structures that do not always serve our best interests.
“These policies hold us back, limit opportunities, and do not reflect the true potential of our people. It is time to extricate ourselves from these limitations. We need solutions that come from us and are for us.
“One of the most vital strategies for our success is collaboration. To achieve true progress, we need all stakeholders on board—government, private sector, communities, and, most importantly, our youth.
“The youth are not just our future; they are our present. Their energy, creativity, and vision are exactly what Africa needs right now.
“At the Africa for Africa Youth Initiative, we are committed to changing the narratives that have defined Africa for too long. We want to reshape the sociopolitical and socioeconomic landscape of our continent, making it a place where everyone can thrive and contribute.
“This is why we are holding this Constitutional Governance Conference today. It is one of many steps we are taking to achieve these goals.”
Ubido, who is a manufacturer and an oil top executive said that Nigerians consume about N6trn monthly.
He advised the youth to be serious with agriculture, adding that the government should implement good model and strategies to help youths in agriculture prosper.
He said: “We currently have a population over 200 million people. So with the population of over 200 million, if you assume that one person consume N1,000 a day: breakfast, launch and dinner, which is very possible on the average a day. For N1,000 multiply with 200 million people it is N2 billion daily.Multiply it with 30 days, it is N6 trillion monthly.
“What I am advocating is that every youth should have at least a hectare of land. If every though, irrespective of what the person is doing, can be engaging in farming.
“Talking about vertical farming, with a land of 100 x 100 you can produce up to 20 basket of tomatoes with vertical farming and these are consumables in great demand. This is something that a farmer can do three to four times in year. So if everyone is involved in it, especially the youth, then we will have food security.”
He added: “Most of the data that the Local government has one of them is the population. They have an idea of the population. They have an idea of the available land that is in their locality. As at today, Netherlands is the fifth exporter of food in the world. We have six states that are bigger than Netherlands: Niger State, Borno, Yobe etc they have it. So what the LG and the politicians need are available.
“The land is there, the young people are there and the resources are there. It is for us to harness them, give them the right training, give them the right information, encourage them because the market is there.
“So it is just the willingness to ensure that the young people take hold of what can help us have food security. Once they do that, we will have food in Nigeria.
“On constitutional governance, we are saying that the government has a role to play in helping the youths, in empowering them. For instance the government will say they want to help this people for farming. They train them and give them money.
“That alone will not work. When you train them, give them implement, after they developed the school, monitor what they are doing. But of the time, when the government trains the youth, there is no post-training monitoring. There is no post-training mentoring.
“The government should amend their role in training and also do post-monitoring after the training. When we do that, we will get the best out of the young people.”
Ogun urged leaders to be godly and avoid corruption, adding that politics is not a dirty game.
According to him, what made politics seem as if it is a dirty is the attitude of some people.
He said: “Politics is not a dirty game. It is the approach to it. I spent 8 years in the National Assembly. There is work to do. It depends on your attitude to it. If you are going there to serve the people and you are determined to serve them, ofcourse being a child of God, you will succeed but if you are going there to steal money, it will be death because you are going to do dirty things to get the money.So it is the attitude to politics.
“On corruption in government, they said when the head is rotten the body is in trouble. We need leadership that will address corruption. Till you get there, it will be a struggle.
“Some people buy votes to get into offices. Why would you buy votes to get into office if you are going to serve the people. So the man that has spent billions in buying votes to get into office, he is going to get that money back.”
