…Hails Pelican Valley’s Initiative
Funso Akinwunmi, a UK-based Nigerian ICT expert, has made a bold prediction that agriculture and real estate will soon become Nigeria’s primary sources of revenue and employment generation, surpassing crude oil.
Akinwunmi urges government and private sector stakeholders to harness the vast potential in these sectors to revitalize the economy, address housing and food crises, and drive national growth and development.
Akinwunmi made this statement on Friday, May 17, after visiting the Pelican’s Greenish Acre Farm Estate in Ogun State, where he witnessed the preparations for a massive plantain and cassava farm project.
The project, initiated by real estate entrepreneur Ambassador Babatunde Adeyemo, aims to promote food productivity and security, and provide affordable housing.
Impressed by the initiative’s scope and innovation, Akinwunmi emphasized the need for Nigerians to prioritize farming to boost local industries and reduce importation.
He also highlighted the importance of affordable housing in solving many of the country’s problems.
Akinwunmi called on the state government and Nigerians in diaspora to support Pelican Valley’s efforts in addressing food security challenges and housing deficits in Nigeria.
He said, “I urge Ogun state government to support Pelican Valley for adding value to the state. The state should support Babatunde Adeyemo for this project. It is a programme, it is not even a project because it is a massive programme, not just the Pelican Valley, but also the Pelican Brief and the greenish acres. He is adding value to communities and also adding values to the government as well because he is making government’s work easy in terms of providing housing for the citizens and residents.
“It is amazing the work he is doing. Housing is very very important. Once you are able to create and provide accommodation for people, you have solved most of their problems. And in fact that is adding value to the Communities.
“I came from the United Kingdom and the fact that we have also keyed into this initiative also means he is adding value to us because in future I will be able to come back to Nigeria and in fact to Abeokuta to stay and have my mini estate here(inside the Pelican Brief). It is very commendable to have someone like Dr Babatunde Adeyemo to encourage us from diasporas – from UK, Canada, because I know he has clients globally. He is not just a local investor, he is a global and international investor as well.
“I will encourage a lot of Nigerians in the diasporas to key into this initiative. It is the reason I came to Nigeria to see the good work Dr Babatunde Adeyemo is doing. I will encourage Nigerians in diasporas to key into the project.”
Earlier, Ambassador Adeyemo, who reckoned Funso as one of the personalities he admired most, not only for building great people through ICT knowledge transfer, but also for keying into the Pelican Valley projects, assuring him and hundreds of other clients based abroad that they will continue to get satisfaction for the valuable partnership.