Afe Babalola Urged Farmers to Form Cooperatives to Access Credit Facility

…Doles out 11.5 Million Naira as Cash Awards to Outstanding Farmers in Ekiti State

Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), the Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has urged farmers in Ekiti State to form cooperative societies in order to have easier access to credit facilities from banks.

He also called on the government to provide modern farming equipment to farmers to boost their productivity and shore up food security in the State. The ABUAD founder spoke in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Saturday at the grand finale of the 9th edition of Aare Afe Babalola Agric Expo (now Afe Annual Farmers Exhibition) targeted at reviving the interest of the masses, educated folks, the rich, academics and others in agriculture.

Babalola said, “How many of us can buy this modern equipment? The modern equipment enables rich and highly educated people to engage in large-scale modern agriculture, whereas in Nigeria, we continue to use cutlasses and hoes, thereby, engaging in small-scale farming.

The Elderstate and Philanthropist presented the sum of N11.5 million as empowerment to farmers across the 16 Local Government Areas of Ekiti State. He doled out the cash award to the outstanding farmers at the weekend during the grand finale of the 2023 edition of the Afe Babalola Agricultural Exhibition and empowerment of youths in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital.

At the event, about 80 farmers from the 16 LGAs received a sum of N9.2 million; the overall best farmer got N2 million and other cash awards for the local council areas; while 32 youths received empowerment tools for self-reliance.

Babalola who congratulated the farmers for the success of this year’s edition explained that his efforts in empowering farmers in the last nine years in the state were borne out of his genuine concern to boost food sufficiency in the society and contribute to the economic growth of the country.

He revealed that the decision of the Forum for International Green Sustainability (FIGS) which is a body that promotes food security across the world to decorate him as grand patron and the distinguished African Man of the Year in food security 2014, necessitated his resolve to fund the yearly farmers exhibition.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said that investment in agriculture remains the only way for the country to survive its current challenges, adding that when farmers are producing in commercial quantities it would reduce the over-dependence on foreign foods and the unemployment rate.

He added that the government at all levels must be deliberate in its policies in the sector by supporting large-scale farming with investment in modern agricultural equipment and implementing for more people including the elites to be involved in farming.

According to him, there is a need for the government to encourage financial institutions to make available soft loans with single-digit interest to agricultural cooperative societies.

The renowned lawyer who advised farmers to form Cooperative Societies in their respective communities said monthly subventions to the state should include special funds for farmers in each of the council areas.

Babalola said, “Our goal is to revive the interest of the ordinary man, the educated one, the rich people, the academics, the politicians, teachers and students in agriculture.

“After the Middle Ages, the white men developed some other tools, and in modern times with the discovery of electricity, they have developed implements such as ploughs, harrows, ridgers, bulldozers, payloads, graders, and others.

“Farmers must form cooperative societies and use their lands as security to obtain soft loans from the Bank of Agriculture. The said cooperative societies can then buy modern agricultural implements which farmers can hire to enable them to engage in modern agriculture.”

He further suggested that the school curriculum in the country should be amended for theoretical and practical agriculture to be taught in all primary and secondary schools.

The secretary general of the National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM-UNESCO) Idowu Olagunju commended the investment of ABUAD founder in the agriculture sector, adding that all his efforts including the annual AB-EX event would help in attaining the needed food security in the country.

While reiterating the need for people, especially youths to embrace agriculture instead of the non-existent white collar jobs, promised to offer more support to the project towards attaining the 2030 sustainable development goals(SDG) of ending hunger in the nation.

On his part, the Elemure of Emure-Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Adebayo called on privileged individuals and government at all levels to emulate the gesture of Babalola by investing in agriculture, saying, “ Nigeria has the capacity to feed the whole of Africa with the way God has blessed us.”