Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has emphasised the need to encourage innovations in food security and secure raw materials for domestic and foreign exchange to develop the nation.

Mr Obasanjo spoke at the grand award night for the 2022 Nigeria Prize for Literature, Science and Literary Criticism, organised by the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), on Friday in Lagos.

“We need to encourage innovations in food security, eradicate hunger and poverty, secure raw materials for domestic and foreign exchange, and we will see the nation develop,” said Mr Obasanjo.

He recounted, “Way back when humans were primarily hunters, they saw the need to cultivate and grow plants and livestock for sustenance and then as an exchange for other goods.

“With increased success, cottage industries bloomed, and that principle of survival has still not changed after millions of years,” Mr Obasanjo said.

The former president emphasised that innovation in agriculture is key to human survival and development.

“In my view, agriculture is the most ancient and proven industry for mankind,” Mr Obasanjo said. “What I am saying is that agriculture is synonymous with human survival and development.”

He thanked the Board of Directors and Management of NLNG for the achievements recorded by the company over the years as a corporate entity, contributing to nation-building since May 1989.

In his address, Philip Mshelbila, MD Nigeria LNG Ltd., said NLNG had become a world-class company in its 33 years of existence and was actively seeking its place in the future.

(NAN)