NASME pledges to re-position SMEs in Ogun, engage 30,000 graduates in farming 

Having emerged as the new chairman of Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) in Ogun State, Yemi Oshifodunrin has pledged to swing into action and re-position micro, small and medium -scale enterprises (MSMEs) in the state, with a view to‎ creating massive jobs for unemployed residents.

 

This came on the backdrop of increasing poverty and unemployment in the state and particularly in the whole country. Following this trend, the new NASME boss said the new executive members of the association in the state would ‎collaborate with international and local agencies such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Ministries of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry as well as various chambers of commerce and industry to improve on the nation’s economy. 

 

Speaking exclusively with BusinessDay on the new slogan, ‘Ogun Operation One, One Project’, Oshifodunrin said NASME had devised means by which graduates would be engaged in farming to create wealth and employment by securing credit facilities for about 30,000 graduate farmers from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other financial institutions. 

 

According to Oshifodunrin, Nigeria’s poverty trap is a time bomb that is set to explode, except the country does the needful and goes back to farming, which is its roots. He said except this was done, the masses, the teaming unemployed graduates and the entire youth force would soon fight back, adding that NASME was mobilising people in the state to confront poverty collectively through  the Poverty Alleviation, Empowerment, Employment and Mass Mobilisation (PEEM) in order to turn the state economy around.

“As you know that Ogun is the most industrialised state in Nigeria today, and since our slogan is ‘NASME Ogun – Engine Room of the Economy’, we want to radically complement this with Ogun also becoming the food basket of the nation.

 

“For this purpose, the state has been divided into four zones: Ijebu, Remo, Egba and Yewa. Each zone has chosen, as a first step, one particular agricultural project to embark upon, on a commercial scale. Ijebu has chosen Tilapia fish; Remo has selected Kolanut; Egba chooses piggery, and Yewa’s choice is broiler production and processing,” he said.

 

“Apart from this, all zones must key into the all green house vegetable farming, which is compulsory for all zones. The cashew processing and cocoa farming are optional. NASME Ogun hopes to partner with the government of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who has reiterated his promise to collaborate with private sector- led BMO is the state.

“The Graduate Start-up Programme (GSUP) we are looking at will engage between 20,000 and 30,000 graduate farmers of Ogun State at full capacity. They will be organised into cooperatives (clusters) to key into the new Central Bank Graduate Start-up Scheme, using their certificate as collaterals. Interested graduate farmers should visit their nearest Ogun Local Government Council and put down their name for registration with the business development committee (BDC) desk officer”, he further said. 

 

“We also have programmes for those who are not interested in agriculture—industrialists, traders, market women, businessmen, general merchants, and artisans are all included in our plan.

 

“All they need to do is to be in group of ten (10) to twenty (20) and in the same profession. We will form them into cooperative clusters, register them and assist them to access loans. They must be in one place called cluster village for monitoring and administration purpose. You know we have zero tolerance for bad debts. Cooperative member’s loan liability is single and joint. Default in repayment of single member is the default and burden of the entire cooperative group in repayment”, he explained.

 

“We are also considering training for participants of

these projects and they will undergo a two-day workshop  where they will be provided with in-depth operational knowledge and skills in their chosen enterprises. This is to enable them to create and manage viable enterprises. Thus to benefit from our loans, they must undertake our two- day training of theory and practice, and collect a certificate of participation.

 

 “As I am taking now, the Ijebu zone has just acquired and signed a 200-hectare land agreement with 70 years of lease period with the Igbaguru, Imeru, and Okebu  communities in Itele Ijebu.

 

 “For Remo, Yewa and Egba zones, contacts are going on to secure at least 100 to 150 hectares for the integrated farming project in each of these zones. In fact, we use this opportunity to call on the paramount rulers, sons and daughters of this area to avail us of land, so that their sons and daughters will not be left out of the moving train,” he concluded.