The organised private sector in the South-West zone, Odua Chamber Of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ODUACCIMA) has called on the Federal Government to give yearly subventions to the group.

The group is made of chambers of commerce and industry from the five south-western states of Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti and Osun states.

The President of the group, Mrs. Alaba Lawson, who made the call after a meeting of ODUACCIMA in Abeokuta, said that the three chambers in the north had been enjoying such subventions for long. She expressed regret that the group, which was registered in 2006, had not enjoyed such benefits.

"The Federal Government has supported others, so we expect it to support us too by giving us this yearly subvention. We will continue to ask for our right and one day, somebody will listen to us," Lawson said.

She expressed optimism that the subvention would be paid in arrears to compensate for the first two international fairs organised by the group and the new one scheduled for Osogbo from October 21 to 30. Mrs Lawson urged the Federal Government to return to agriculture as a means of sustaining the economy and that sole dependence on oil was not doing the nation any good.

She said that the aim of the group was to promote agriculture and allied products as an alternative to oil and to improve the economy of the south-west.

The theme of the third Odu'a International Trade Fair is "Promoting agriculture and agro-allied products, manufactured products, industrialisation and services of the country for export.