Hunger : Anambra monarch urges youths to embrace agriculture to fight hunger, crimes

By Cyprian  Ebele, Onitsha 

The traditional ruler of Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State, Igwe Pharmacist Alex Onyido, has urged the  youths to go into agriculture, especially farming as a major means of fighting hunger in the land.

He made the urge during his 2024 new yam festival celebration held in his palace, adding that not only will farming fight hunger but will also keep the youths busy instead of roaming the streets in search of white cola jobs that are nowhere to be found.

He described the new yam festival (Alo Mmuo), as an inheritance from our forefathers stating that it is the reason why the people give the forefathers the yam to eat first during the celebration as a mark of honour before the people will eat it.

“The ancestors are saints like you have saints in the church. In the Igbo culture we have saints, Nwankwo, Nworie, Nweke, Nwafor, among others as you have saints, Cyprian, Peter, John, Philip, among others,” he stated.

He lamented that with the high cost of food items now and pump price of fuel, the only way out of the socio-economic and political quagmire is to embrace agriculture.

“The pump price of fuel now is #1250, a tuber of yam is about #5000, not to talk of other food items, we have teeming youths and they should go to the farm now. The economic hardship is an ill wind that blows nobody good,” he stated.

He lamented that high taxation of imported wares has worsened the situation adding that essential items like pharmaceuticals should not have high taxation on them.

“We still pay old tariffs, multiple taxation on importation of clothes. A lot of things are happening at the ports, Government should help out importers of these essential commodities,” he pleaded.

Highlight on the occasion was paying of homage to the monarch by his cabinet members, dance groups, town union branches, in-laws, friends and well wishers.