Group urges government to diversify economy

The Leadership Factory, a non-governmental organisation in Osun, has advised the state government to diversify its economy, in order to rescue the state from its present economic hardship.

Mr Charles Adeyemi, the President of the group, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo on Saturday.

He said that the continuous fall in prices of crude oil in the international market had underscored the need for the state government to play less emphasis on its monthly allocations from the Federation Account.

Adeyemi, therefore, urged the state government to focus its attention on how to develop specific sectors of the economy that could generate considerable revenue.

``The government must initiate measures and implement policies that would alleviate the suffering of the masses,’’ he said.

He said that the state government should initiate projects that would yield more revenue to boost the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.

Adeyemi, however, urged the government to carry along all the stakeholders in the agriculture and tourism sectors in its efforts to develop the sectors.

He also called for the establishment of public-private partnerships in efforts to develop the state’s economy.

He, however, reiterated the need for the state government to initiate and execute projects that would benefit the citizens of the state.