Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has described stability and revitalization of the Yoruba Nation as a panacea for the development of the region.
Speaking at the Annual Convention of the National Association of Yoruba Descendants in North America (Egbe Omo Yoruba) Governor Fayemi stressed the need to industrialize the region.
The Governor who spoke through his Commissioner for Integration and Intergovernmental Affairs, Hon Fuminiyi Afuye emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts to boost industrialization of the
region.
Noting that no region can prosper as a net exporter of raw materials and net importer of finished products, Fayemi stressed that Africa has to break the manufacturing jinx in order to truly join the league of
the world's advanced nations.
Governor Fayemi said that South West states in Nigeria must aspire to absorb its teeming population of unemployed youths and give them a stake as productive citizens in society.
Fayemi also called for joint effort at confronting the persistent problem of electric power supply towards realizing the objective of industrializing the region.
He added that South West states must sufficiently invest in power generation to become self-sufficient, saying that it has become imperative to develop independent power plants that will be concentrated around designated strategic development areas including industrial estates, educational institutions, airports, seaports,
health centres among others.
Dr. Fayemi also stressed the need to revitalize agriculture, stating the importance of providing technical support, training and skill acquisition services for farmers across the region to ensuring food
sufficiency and making the region a food basket.
On education, Governor Fayemi called for the redefinition of polytechnic as primary vocational institutes where hard skills are imparted stressing that mid-level skills such as welding undersea pipes, installing gas turbines, refurbishing car engine and general maintenance of public infrastructure by graduates of polytechnics will help sustain vital competence which is crucial for economic
expansion.
