The Yoruba political group noted that the cocoa industry has the potential to boost Nigeria’s economy and reduce poverty.
The group in a statement signed by its national president, Comrade Olaposi Oginni and made available to newsmen on Monday, maintained that the cocoa sector will help the Tinubu-led government achieve its goals of economic recovery and poverty reduction.
While congratulating the president on his Supreme Court’s victory, Oginni said there is a need for the government to engage key stakeholders in other political parties in the recovery process of the country.
Oginni stressed that the cocoa industry has the potential to create millions of jobs and generate billions of dollars in revenue.
He added that the group would soon launch an initiative tagged “Cocoa Revolution” across the six southwest states.
He urged the president to support the initiative by providing policies that will encourage local processing of cocoa and the development of value-added products.
He added, “Now that all litigations are over, we the Yoruba Elites in Politics are calling on our president to as a matter of urgency look into the economic revival of this country.
“We know that there are a lot of challenges before the president. However, it was President Tinubu who asked and applied for the job, and the job must be done.
“To make this job easier and to make the economic recovery of Nigeria faster, we are calling on Mr President to look forward by including the core opposition political parties. This will make people bring out ideas on how to revive our economy. This will be brought on board not on political patronage but on competency and readiness to make Nigeria work again.
“As a social political group, we are embarking on relaunching the project of old that has made the whole of western Nigeria the bride during the era of Obafemi Awolowo.
“Therefore, we are going back to the drawing board to start what we call the cocoa revolution and this initiative shall be launched in all the six southwest states of Nigeria.”
Oginni argued that promoting large production of cocoa and supporting farmers would help revive the economy and strengthen the country’s currency.
He further stressed, “We are calling on Mr President to support the cocoa revolution initiative for economic recovery.
“In the time of Obafemi Awolowo, we discovered that Southwest Nigeria was able to run programmes that made the western part of Nigeria the best.
“The first one is education. The free education that most of our leaders, elders, and even the president enjoyed during those days was funded from the proceeds from the Cocoa sale which the leadership of the late Awolowo centred on.
“To strengthen our currency, to revive our economy, emphasis on cocoa evolution is important. We are calling on the president to look at how we are going to support 10,000 young farmers
“It is not too late for us to restart again. Nigeria can be great again, Nigeria can work again.”
