The Founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has bagged the ‘African Man of The Year in Food Security’.
The legal luminary, at a press conference held in ABUAD on his selection as the 2024 African Man of the Year in Food Security by the Initiative for Green Sustainability, urged the Federal Government to revive the moribund farm settlement in Nigeria.
Babalola said the government should ensure that farmers do not only produce food crops but cash crops, adding that this will ensure the revival of cocoa in the west, rubber and palm oil in Edo and Delta States and the groundnut pyramids of the north.
The elder statesman pointed out that the government should ensure that allocation to local governments get to them directly and not through their respective governors.
Babalola encouraged the local governments to assemble farm implements which they will hire to farmers at subsidized rate and produce seedlings for sale to farmers at low prices.
“The government should revive the old farm settlements by Awolowo in the former Western Region and extend it to other states in the country.
“As part of my resolve to encourage agriculture, I reduce school fees of students studying agriculture by 50 per cent in our university. In addition, I give seed money of N250,000 to every graduate in agriculture from Afe Babalola University.
“At the state level, I have in the last 10 years been organizing the annual agric festival in Ado-Ekiti called ABAEX (Afe Babalola Agric Expo) with the best overall farmer in the state going home with N2,000,000.
“The best three farmers in each of the 16 local government councils in the state go home with N1,000,000 among themselves,” he said.
The elder statesman added that his philosophy is that ideas rule the world, saying it is only those who can translate their ideas into action that can successfully change the world.
“It is because of my ability to translate my ideas in agriculture and food security into action that has won me this award,” he stated.
The Chancellor of ABUAD paid special tribute to the Global Food Security Committee of the Initiative for Green Sustainability for promoting interest in agriculture and for emphasizing the importance of food security.
On world population, Babalola noted that the world population is increasing at a geometric rate, yet, land remains static and man on planet earth must eat, adding that failure to eat will lead to death, pointing out the place and importance of agriculture in human existence across all cultures.
By Gbenga Sodeinde
