Elder statesman and legal icon, Afe Babalola, (SAN) has again given N44.5 million to a total of 81 best performing local farmers in Ekiti.
The annual monetary awards, which is in it’s 10th year edition, was designed to making farming attractive to Nigerians once again, and to enhance farming activities of beneficiaries, under his agriculture promotion programme, tagged ‘Afe Babalola Agric Expo and Youth Empowerment’, (ABA-EX).m
The breakdown of the largesse, showed that five best farmer, second best, third best, fourth best and fifth best, in each of the 16 Local Government Areas of the state, got money ranging from N200,000, N150,000, N100,000, N75,000 to N50,000 in that order, while youths who were empowered, also got varied sums, as well as start- up kits for their businesses.
This brought the total sum to over N170 million so far expended on both Agric rewards and empowerment since inception.
The star price of N 2 million for the overall best farmer in the state was won by a popular farmer, Chief Sunday Boboye Babalola, from Ado-Ekiti Local Government.
Babalola, speaking on Sunday during the closing of the three-day programme, held at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), said the annual distribution of the cash gift which is now 10 years old, apart from complimenting government’s efforts at rejuvenating agriculture, was also aimed at making agriculture attractive to young people.
He expressed regrets at the high rate of laziness and indolence on the part of many Nigerians these days, especially the young ones, perhaps because of free food they often get from certain unusual sources, saying this was against what the holy bible warned about, that he who does not work, does not deserved to eat.
” Lamentably today, most Nigerians don’t want to work again. Rather, they believe in going to collect small bags of rice and beans, as palliatives from government. The question is, are they really entitled to eat?
” Whereas, what the Nigerian Constitution clearly provides is that government should provide the enabling environment to the citizens to enable them to be productive.
” There is no where in the constitution which empowers any government to buy rice and beans to distribute to the people.
” To me, it is clearly unconstitutional for government to encourage indolence and begging, by distributing foodstuffs to them, even in the absence of any natural disaster, such as earthquakes or flood, among others”, he said.
Reputed to being the biggest individual farmer, highest tax payer, and largest employer of labour after government in Ekiti, Babalola however commended the Federal Government for recently adopting some of his suggestions on the way forward for the re-emancipation of farming among Nigerians.
” The Federal Government recently ordered agricultural equipment, worth several billions of Naira, this is in line with my earlier suggestions in my weekly columns that FG should provide agricultural equipment to enable Local Governments hire these for use, in the farms.
” I congratulate the FG on this noble initiative. However, i will like to plead that these equipment should be given to the LG’s directly, and not the State Governments”, he said.
Babalola also frowned at the practice by some road-side women traders who engage in the practice of cutting yams into pieces for selling, saying this is also both absurd and abominable, and a direct assault on principles of agricultural development, urging traditional rulers to outlaw the practice henceforth.
He restated that Nigeria could survive with agriculture, if well managed.
Prof. Abiodun Ojo, the Chairman, Local Organising Committee of the Expo said the introduction and continued sponsorship of the annual event by Babalola was fast rekindling the hope that the country could overcome its problems of national unemployment.
H described the 10th year anniversary of the Afe Babalola Agric Expo, between 2015 – 2025, as a decade of impact, saying first it first started with a modest sum of N 7 million, and rose steadily over the years, to over N44 million in 2025.
He bemoaned the mass abandonment of the farm by Nigerians, as well as the worrisome index of food insecurity and climate change amidst increasing national population rate of the country, which Babalola determined to reverse.
Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, praised the efforts of few selfless citizens, exhibiting patriotism such as the founder and Chancellor, Afe Babalola was currently doing.
Gov. Biodun Oyebanji, represented by Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade, 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.
He described agriculture as leading occupation in the state, with over 65 per cent participation, saying Babalola’s intervention and partnership was in the right direction, which the State Government deeply appreciated.
He 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.
Also in a goodwill message, the Secretary -General, Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO (NATCON – UNESCO), Dr Olatunji Idowu Lateef, said ABUAD, via ABA-EX, directly addressees several Initiated Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
He said such Goals, notably include: SDG 2 (Hunger), SDG 4 (Quality Education) SDG 8, (Decent Work & Economic Growth), SDG 13, (Climate Action through sustainable farming practices), and SDG 17, on effective partnership . He therefore commended the giant strides of Babalola, and counselled him not to relent, urging other well to do Nigerians to emulate him.
