Afe Babalola Rewards Septuagenarian Farmer With N1m Cash Gift

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Legal luminary and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), has rewarded a 73-year-old farmer, Alhaji Olayinka Adeyemi, with cash prize of N1 million over the weekend in Ado Ekiti.

The septuagenarian farmer got the cash price on the spot from Babalola after he emerged the Best Farmer of Year 2017 at the Afe Babalola Agricultural Exhibition, code named ABA-EX 2017, which was staged inside the campus of the ABUAD.

Adeyemi, who has been in farming since 1965, had emerged overall winner out of about 300 other farmers earlier short-listed from among leading farmers in all the 16 local government areas of the state.

Two farmers each from the council areas got N150,000 and N100,000 respectively for coming first and second positions.

Speaking at the ceremony, Babalola, an Ekiti Elder statesman, who is also a big time farmer, said the gesture was to revolutionalise farming in the state, by making it attractive to the youths, who in no time are expected to replace the ageing farmers in the state.
He has also offered to start buying off farm produce from farmers across the state, in order to save them the agony of produce wastage and huge losses owing to lack of storage facilities.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also identified lack of working capital, storage facilities and modern farm implements as reasons why many had abandoned farming for odd jobs in the city.

He also said lack of access to ready market for their produce contributed to farmers abandoning the occupation, thereby making them poorer.

“As from now, I wish to announce to all farmers in Ekiti State that they are free to bring their farm produce in bulk to us here. We are ready to by them and pay you appropriate prices.

“We have all the facilities in ABUAD farms to accommodate as well as process whatever volume of both cash and food crops that we have with us.

“We do not only prepare them for local consumption, we also prepare them for export.

“I am always moved to pity when I see hard-working farmers not making commensurable profits on their farms despite toiling day and night to ensure they have good harvest.

“I do not want this ugly situation to continue,” he said.

Governor Ayodele Fayose, who was represented by his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola thanked Babalola for his intervention in agriculture and education sectors in the state.

He described Babalola as the best, most critical partner and a stakeholder in the running of government.