Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said innovation in agriculture is key to human survival and development.
Obasanjo said this at the Grand Award Night for the 2022 Nigeria Prize for Literature, Science and Literary Criticism, organised by the Nigeria LNG Limited on Friday in Lagos.
He emphasised the need to encourage innovations in food security, eradication of hunger and poverty, secure raw materials for domestic and foreign exchange so as to see the nation develop.
“Way back when humans were primarily hunters, they saw the need to cultivate and grow plants and livestock for sustenance, and then as exchange for other goods.
“With increased success, cottage industries bloomed and that principle of survival has still not changed after millions of years,” Obasanjo said.
He expressed delight at NLNG’s choice of science prize theme, ‘Innovations in Food Security,’ describing it as appropriate.
“As a farmer, I am really impressed with NLNG’s choice of this year’s science prize theme being ‘Innovations in Food Security.’
“In my view, agriculture is the most ancient and proven industry for mankind. What I am saying is that agriculture is synonymous with human survival and development.
“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,” Obasanjo said.
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.
“I have had the joy of witnessing NLNG’s coming-of-age story; in your maturity, you seek to pull our nation to the height you have attained.
“I enjoin all stakeholders to support NLNG in all its aspirations to help in building a better Nigeria,” the former president said.
Obasanjo also praised the NLNG for its vision to be a globally competitive LNG company helping to build a better Nigeria.
In his address, the Managing Director of NLNG Limited, Dr Philip Mshelbila, said NLNG, in its 33 years of existence, had become a world class company and was actively seeking its place in the future.
“What the future holds, may in some views, be left to time and chance, but we do know from the experiences of others, that when we future-proof our business, we get a say as to what should be beyond,” he said.
Mshelbila remarked that within the energy transition landscape, NLNG would be rightly positioned to make Nigeria a global giant.
Explaining details of the award, the NLNG boss said the company chose to sponsor the ‘Nigeria Prize for Literature’ and the ‘Nigeria Prize for Science,’ with monetary awards of 100,000 dollars each.
“The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism has an award of N1m. The overall intent of this is to place a bar of excellence and shun mediocrity in creativity and innovation,” said the NLNG boss.