New constitution, panacea to growing insecurity in Nigeria – Afe Babalola  

• as 155 youths in agribusiness get over N30 million

The founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola has told President Muhammadu Buhari that the nation would only overcome the challenge of insecurity and others with a new constitution that will capture the agitation of many Nigerians.

The frontline lawyer noted that the current 1999 constitution was a clog to the socio-economic development of the country, hence the need for devolution of power, adding there was a need for different regions to be given absolute power to address the challenges of insecurity, unemployment and poverty in their respective zones.

According to him, no amount of amendment by the National Assembly will address all the agitations and concerns of the citizens, maintaining that the leaders must be bold enough to take the decision of a new constitution that will ensure maximum security and better the lives and livelihood of many Nigerians.

Babalola spoke on Saturday in ABUAD farm in Ado-Ekiti during the grant award ceremony and equipment to about 115 youths in the 2020 Youth Employment in Agri-business and Sustainable Agriculture (YEASA) in partnership with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria expressed regret that leaders in the country are not rendering selfless service rather they are pursuing personal wealth at the deterrent of the system and the citizens.

According to him,” There is a very simple solution to the growing insecurity in the country and that is a new constitution.  We need a new constitution where the different nations that were formed together can develop at their own pace. West was doing well during the old constitution likewise the East and even the North but the one where are using now whose leaders see politics as the only lucrative business.

“We don’t transactional leaders anymore, we want transformational leaders as you can see I am transforming this place. In the early years in 1960 people were not earning salaries but allowances and they were doing well but now you see people selling their property to contest election because of money they will get in the office, that is not the ideal thing.  The solution is a new constitution for the people. We need people who will serve without earning salaries. “

Babalola who empowered the youths from Oyo and Ekiti states with equipment and grants amounting to N30 million after weeks of training in various agricultural based businesses  lamented the poverty level in the country noting that he would continue to do everything possible to end the menace.

He told the beneficiaries to be committed and deployed the grants given judiciously for them to be employers’ of labour and banish the chain of poverty from the society.

He said, “We introduce this program to help end poverty in our society and that is why are training you and given you grants to start your business. We want to make you self employ and remove poverty from around us.Nigeria today is a poor country and I have said I will continue to do everything in my own way to eradicate poverty in the country.”

“Tell your friends out there to embrace this training and be able to transform their lives through agriculture. There is a need for our youths to engage their hands in productive things especially in agribusiness.”

He advised the beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunities being offered by financial institutions especially Bank of Industry and the Bank of Agriculture to boost their businesses.

Speaking, the project manager, Professor Amos Onasanya said the 115 youths have been trained in fish production, fish value addition, moringa value addition and mango value addition and given over N225,000 each for them to earn income and create employ opportunities.

He explained that the grants given to each of the beneficiaries would help them to establish their agribusiness in rural areas of Oyo and Ekiti states, adding, “very strict monitoring and evaluation system and tools have been developed for monitoring of all the established agribusinesses in terms of performance as well as impact in terms of employment opportunities created, revenue and profits.”