Expert urges politicians empower youths through agriculture

The Director, Extension Service, Agricultural Development Project (ADP) in Adamawa, Mr Bagarmi Tauwama, has advised politicians to empower the youth through agriculture to become self-reliant.

Tauwama gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Yola.

Such empowerments, he said, would help the youth to be self-reliant and become employers of labour.

According to him, electioneering is around the corner when politicians will be busy distributing some items to the youth, especially the unemployed ones.

He said that going by the current challenges of unemployment among the youth, there was the need for the politicians to support them to be productive and be useful to the society.

“White collar jobs are no longer available and we have lots of youths, some of whom are graduates, looking for jobs.

“I am, therefore, advising our politicians to empower youths, particularly in agricultural activities, for them to be productive and become employers of labour.

“They should use agriculture to empower the youth, instead of giving them cars and motorcycles which they do not have means of maintaining,’’ he said.

According to him, if youths are empowered, they may not go back to disturb the politicians in their houses or offices again.

Tauwama also advised the youth to have a rethink as far as agriculture was considered, stating that even many civil servants were going back to farm to further empower themselves.

He cited the examples of some youths who, he said, were already in the system, harvesting 150 bags of rice, stressing that most of them were no longer interested in white color jobs, as agriculture was paying them.

According to him, apart from rice, there are other cash crops that are also paying, mentioning sesame, soya beans and groundnuts.

“We as extension agents are ready to contribute our own quota for the youth to excel in life, especially if they are ready and willing,” he said. (NAN)