Afe Babalola urges Tinubu to revive moribund farm settlements

Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), the founder of Afe Babalola University in Ado Ekiti, has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to resuscitate the nation’s agricultural communities in order to boost the economy.

Babalola expressed disappointment that governments at all levels were not doing enough to support the agricultural sector, claiming that Nigeria—which was once among the top exporters of cocoa and palm oil—had fallen from its position as a result of the sector’s neglect.

Reviving the abandoned farm villages across the nation, he claimed, would increase food security, agricultural output for both domestic and international markets, and supply raw materials for manufacturing.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, the founder of ABUAD said that the Initiative for Green Sustainability had chosen him as the 2024 African Man of the Year in Food Security because of his emphasis on promoting agriculture and igniting students’ enthusiasm in it.

Coming from an organisation dedicated to raising awareness of agriculture and highlighting the significance of food security, he said the award “is a call on me to do more in contributing to the development of the country, which, of course, includes agriculture.”

In order to increase the region’s revenue base and enable the construction of vital institutions and infrastructure that have continued to be the pride of the South-West, Babalola recalled how the late wise man, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, promoted agriculture through farm settlements while serving as the Western Region’s premier.

He said that in order to resurrect the nation’s dwindling agricultural potential, governments needed to give the farm settlement revival their full attention. He said that doing so would “also create job opportunities for the unemployed youths in the country and as well reduce the level of insecurity to the barest minimum.”

Babalola demanded higher yearly financial expenditures for the agricultural sector, arguing that it might lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty and provide food security.

He also emphasised how urgently the government has to enact sustainable policies and supply improved seedlings, modern farm equipment, and low-interest loans to encourage young people to pursue careers in agriculture.