VC urges support for agro-based energy to develop agriculture

The Vice Chancellor,  University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has voiced support for agro-based energy to develop agriculture. He said agro-based energy has renewable resources that can help Nigeria overcome daunting development challenges in its economy.

Ogundipe expressed the support at the 2019 First Award Winners’ Lecture with the theme, “Making Case for Agro-based Energy Development: A National Priority for Sustainable Economy” where he stated that Nigeria as a nation needs to invest in bio-renewable resources as the basis for a sustainable economic development. He described  agro-based innovations as a sustainable tool for national development and change catalysts. “Today, about 65 per cent of Nigerians live in extreme poverty, though Nigeria is at the centre to the US government global development strategy but needs to make use of technology to end the root cause of poverty.

Ogundipe explained that Nigeria is supposed to be very wealthy but that the nation has drifted. He said, “over dependence on oil has affected our economy especially now that it is dawning on everybody that we are running into trouble with oil. What may even make oil more useless is the fact that people are already thinking of alternative sources of energy even for running cars so the lecture today is a renewed awareness to use alternative sources to develop our economy.” He said despite the learning opportunities inherent in Nigeria’s history and the country’s access to mainstream and alternative development paradigms through decades of development cooperation, its successive post-independence leaders have failed to leverage these opportunities to build a strong, cohesive and prosperous nation.

Also, Prof. Adesoji Adesina, who presented the lecture at the event, said for Nigeria to increase its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it needs to give attention to renewable electric supplementation.