Priscilla Ofunre, Ado-Ekiti
Legal luminary and founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has, as his annual way of financially assisting Ekiti farmers to improve in their farming endeavours, made cash gift of N5.6m to 48 best performing local farmers under his agric programme “Afe Babalola Agric Expo” (ABA-EX 2019).
The best farmer, second best, and third best in each of the 16 local government areas of the State got money ranging from, N150,000, N100,000 and N50,000 each.
The star prize of N1m for overall best farmer in the state was won by Mr. Aleshinloye Omolayo, from Ijero Local Government Area.
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Speaking at the closing of the 3-Day Agric exposition, held at the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, (ABUAD), Babalola said the annual distribution of the cash gift, which he began since 2012, was his deliberate design to compliment government’s efforts at revamping agriculture as well as make farming more attractive to young persons and increase tempo of food production.
He regretted the widening gap between local farmers and funding organizations, in accessing funding and basic agricultural materials towards fostering food production, which he said was one of the factors that had landed the country in the current national economic crisis.
According to him, the annual event was conceived to bridge this widening gap, while it would also reconstruct the mentality as well as redefine the mindset of approaching agriculture as a noble profession.
Babalola, said, being the highest tax payer in the state and the largest single farmer, and the largest employer of labour after the Ekiti State Government, derived pleasure in building peoples’ capacity and making them fulfill their dreams.
The ABUAD founder promised to continue to contribute his quota to the growth and development of the country in every way humanly possible.
He enjoined beneficiaries not to divert the money to other uses, so as to justify the reason for which they were given.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chairman of this year’s edition of ABA-EX, Prof Abiodun Ojo, remarked that the introduction and continued sponsorship of the annual event by Babalola was fast rekindling the hope that the country can indeed overcome problems ravaging rate of national unemployment, worrisome index of food insecurity and climate change amidst increasing national population rate, if the country and few of her selfless citizens exhibit patriotism, as Afe Babalola was currently doing.
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The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) chairman in the state, Adebola Alagbada, in a goodwill message, described agriculture as leading occupation in the state, with over 65% participation, saying Babalola’s intervention was in the right direction.
“Hitherto, we farmers had become overused and over stretched, yet we are barely appreciated and encouraged
“We were also abandoned to wallow in abject poverty, but today, we have the likes of Afe Babalola who deemed it fit to becoming the first man in Nigeria to singularly introduce this laudable programme for farmers”, he said.
Declaring the event close, Governor Kayode Fayemi, represented by Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Folorunso Olabode, commended Babalola for using his wealth to assist both the government and the people to lift agriculture and create employment, among several other areas of human endeavours.
The governor promised that the state would not relent in its current efforts at bringing back the lost glory of agriculture through regular provision of land and other incentives to all category of farmers across the state.
He also enjoined other well-meaning members of the public to emulate the philanthropic gestures of Afe Babalola.
