The Ministry of Defence Staff Agricultural Cooperative Society (MODACS) has appealed to the federal government to declare a state of emergency on family planning and agriculture in order to eradicate poverty, achieve sustainable development.
MODACS President, Babatunde Gbadamosi stated in Lagos at the weekend while delivering a lecture at a seminar organised to commemorate the United Nations International Cooperative Alliance Day.
Gnadamosi said it is worrisome that there has been no national approach to family planning, saying that the nation’s population keeps skyrocketing without commensurate growth in the agricultural sector of the economy.
He said: “This breeds criminality and off problems. Government has not made deliberate effort since the Babaginda era. We need to tell people and make them responsible for what they do, their children and their family.”
Gbadamosi further stated that the government needs to contain insecurity across the country and create environment that allows for sustainable production of goods and services in order to end poverty.
He said: “Lagos State is fifth largest economy in Africa. They achieved it because the security is good. People have rest of mind and they do their businesses without fear or harassment.
“That is how it should be. If government creates an enabling environment in terms of security and survival, people will be able to grow in their business enterprises. “A place like Adamawa State is rich in agriculture be it animal husbandry or planting of crops. What you need to do is too see how you harmonize the differences between herders and farmers. If you are able to solve these problems, the place will boom. The same applies to Jos.
“We do not have business being poor in this country if we are able to tackle one or two things that are outstanding. Another cause of poverty is exploitation of labour. The last time there was a salary or wage increase was in 2011.
“After the time the fuel price has increased from 87 to 145. Nigeria is an importing nation, we import virtually everything we use in this country and this is where foreign exchange rates come to play. This means that the value of a civil servant’s salary had dropped to one-third. These things have to be fixed.
