Agriculture

We remain resolute on bringing prosperity to the state – Makinde

By Web News 462

By Iyabo Adebisi

Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde has reiterated his commitment to making the state a modern agribusiness hub in Sub-Saharan Africa, just as he promised to give more support to farmers and improve infrastructure and security with a view to attracting large investments in agriculture to the state. 

He stated this in his opening remark at an event themed, “Agribusiness for Food Security Initiative”, held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, (IITA), Ibadan. 

Governor Makinde noted that his government remained resolute in bringing prosperity to the state and would continue to support youths. 

The governor said in his Roadmap for Accelerated Development, that he had thought of how to take the people from poverty to prosperity, noting that given the state’s comparative advantage of arable land, it was clear that embracing agriculture was the way to go, but it was also obvious that using the old method of farming would not produce the desired result.  

He said, “We are a state that was doing poorly on economic indices. The internally generated revenue was low for a state that has a rich history of economic development and we are close to the nation’s commercial capital. Lagos is not far from here. Every month, they do an IGR of about N65bn and here, when we came in, it was N1.8bn but we have now managed to push it close to N4bn.

 So, in terms of where we want to be, we have not scratched the surface yet. 

“So, we had to find a way to stimulate the economy quickly. Our comparative advantage is the arable land. If we are to achieve accelerated development, we have to build our economy around this advantage. The 11 local government areas in Ibadan are double the size of the whole of Lagos State. So, it was a no-brainer that we have to leverage agriculture and agribusiness, but we are not content with practicing agriculture like it was done in the past. 

“We need an economic solution driven by data. We need an achievable strategy powered in a new way of thinking about agriculture. One of the platforms set up to drive the new way of thinking about agriculture was the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), headed by Dr Debo Akande.

“So, I will also say that Dr Akande has been instrumental in pushing the new way of practising agriculture in Oyo State and I can tell the whole world that this is yielding dividends. To achieve this, we will focus on partnerships to drive agribusiness, working with the private sector and development organisations.”

Governor Makinde said for Oyo State to become a modern agribusiness hub in Sub-Saharan Africa would require the attraction of large investments in agriculture, adding that to attract the kind of investments needed by the state; it would need to provide adequate infrastructure and security. 

He said though the state on his watch had done so well with the provision of infrastructure and security, it would still do more to buoy investors’ confidence. 

Talking about the Fasola Industrial Hub, the governor said developing it had provided the state a learning opportunity that would come handy as the state embarks on building Eruwa and Akufo industrial hubs. 

The governor lauded the IITA for helping the state with high-quality seeds which are propelling increased productivity in the state.

In a keynote address, a former President of Nigeria, who is also an Honorary Ambassador of IITA, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said agribusiness would play a vital role in the future of the country. 

Chief Obasanjo said that the federal government should not be directly involved in agribusiness since the states have the landmass, resources, manpower, innovations and the infrastructure to develop holistic strategies for food security.

He commended the efforts of women in agribusiness and also encouraged them to do more as food security and food nutrition would go a long way in providing more employment, boost the foreign exchange, and increase in internally generated revenue.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Africa Continental Director CGIAR/ Director General IITA, Dr Simeon Ehui, said the forum was aimed at addressing pressing issues on food security and to drive positive changes by leveraging major stakeholders to ensure a sustainable future for the present and next generation.

Some beneficiaries of Oyo State Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP), Ibukunoluwa Tubi and Dolapo Opekun, lauded the initiative which has brought hope to youths. They also thanked Governor Makinde for empowering and supporting youths. 

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Agriculture

Our efforts in agribusiness already yielding results – Oyo Govt

By Web News 815

There is no doubt that the efforts of Oyo State government in agribusiness is already yielding positive results through increment of internal generated revenue and job creation opportunities through investment in agriculture.

Executive Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Agribusiness, Dr. Debo Akande said this while receiving a team of diary milk company on facility tour at Fashola farm, Oyo to set up a milk collection center through dairy livestock farming within the facility.

Speaking with newsmen after the tour, Dr Akande, who also doubles as the Director General of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) said there would be a manifestation of modern approach in livestock and dairy production within particular facility.

He explained that the state was making money from the farm as it was not giving free to milk investor company and other investors noting that they were using the farm on lease.

Dr Akande also used the opportunity of the tour to address the beneficiaries of the state Youth Entrepreneurship In Agribusiness Project (YEAP) who have already cultivated up to 45% of the hundred hectares of land allocated to them, charging them to continue working with such energy to boost food security and help themselves.

Dr Debo Akande with some stakeholders during the inspection tour

He commended them for the level of consistence and commitment shown to their jobs.

“We have said that this is going to be private sector-driven, and in so doing we are attracting the investors that have the capability to run the hub, Fasola Farm was actually known for livestock farming for many years and the work we’ve been doing in terms of livestock has created impact across the whole part of the state, so what we are doing now is to bring back the glory of the past but in a different way.”

“What our milk collection partner investor are known for is dairy and livestock, so we will be seeing a manifestation of modern approach in livestock and dairy production within this particular facility that we have and to me I think that is quite significant.” Akande said.

“They have already paid, and they will be paying annually for the next twenty years, and this is not limited only to our milk collection partner but also to other investors here, all of them are here on lease, government is going to generate chunk of their lease at the first year and also be generating lease payment for the next twenty years from all these private companies, that is part one of the revenue.”

“The part two of it is that they will also be paying taxes at different points or the other, and part three is that they will be employing quite a lot of our people within the state that have the skills set to work within that particular location and part four is that we have something to show other investors what we have in stock to come and see, so if we said we are opening up another area they already see the possibility, so with all these I see this as a big win for Oyo State”.

“Beyond that as well, we will also be engaging in the issue of milk production here, we will be engaging our youths in milk production and that is going to be a whole dairy and livestock value chain that we will be scaling within this particular location. This is not what government has responsibility to do, as you normally hear our governor saying that there is no business of government in business and that is the reality of what we have seen here today.” Akande said.

Iyabo Adebisi

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News

I’m not anti-Islam nor a despot – OYSADA Boss

By Web News 460

Director General of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency OYSADA, Dr Debo Akande has denied a story linking him to the deliberate closure of Islamic Praying Ground at the agency’s headquarters located in the Total Garden area of Ibadan.

It would be called that Muslim Community in Oyo State, MUSCOYS, had in a statement accused the director general of the Oyo State Agricultural, Oyo State Agri-Business Development Agency, OYSADA, Dr Akande of shutting down the Mosque and Christian Fellowship Centre within the agency’s premises.

According to the statement, the DG asked the adherents of the two faiths to worship in the same place.

However, in a statement, Dr Akande stressed that the development came as a shock to him and other good people of the state. 

He also maintained that the description of him by the statement as “anti-Islam” and a despot who unilaterally decided to “stop Muslims from obeying the command of Allah,” runs contrary to everything that OYSADA stands for and represents.

He said: “OYSADA will not spend so much time dissecting the MUSCOYS press statement, it is important to clarify the circumstances which led to the OYSADA management requesting that the praying areas used by both Muslims and Christians at the agency be discontinued”. 

The statement maintained, “We have deliberately used the phrase “praying area” because to describe the structure used as a “mosque” is demeaning.

OYSADA DG further stressed that the buildings in question are Muslim Praying Ground (Mosque), Christian Praying Ground (Chapel), Toilet and Store, noted that the facilities are currently not fit for use. 

He maintained: “These were the major considerations that led to the temporary closure of these areas, contrary to what was presented in the statement, stressing that separate rooms were provided and assigned for prayers to Muslims and Christians.”

Some of the staff of the agency that spoke with journalists that were on an assessment tour of the facilities said the closure of the facilities became necessary due to the deplorable state of the affected structures.

A senior staff who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity stated that after returning from the pandemic break, they met the toilet in a deplorable condition, “the stench was so bad that we had to restrict the use of the worship centres, as well as that of the storage facility.” 

He said, “The plan was to quickly renovate the place so that we can go back to using them. But as I speak to you the file is still being processed, we held a meeting with our boss, Dr Debo Akande that we are exposed to security threats as unknown faces were seen sleeping inside our worship centres during productive hours and even overnight.”

“After the fruitful meeting with our boss, this gate was constructed by the boss himself, but promised a befitting toilet, storage and praying areas for us.”

“We have been living together in peace and harmony here, there is no rancour between the Muslim and Christian faiths here. Some people just want to aggravate the situation to suit a narrative”. He continued

In his contributions, a former Director of Administrative Services at OYSADA and a Muslim, Mr Fajimi, told journalists that he was privy to be at the meeting held with members of MUSCOYS.

Mr Fajimi further maintained that there was no plan to keep the area permanently closed, stressing that Dr Debo used his personal resource to fix the gate at the entrance when he was approached over the insecurity of staff members’ lives and theft of the agency’s materials.

“We all agreed for the temporary closure of those affected structures due to their deplorable states and this was communicated to the leadership of MUSCOYS, who were urged to enable needed rehabilitation to be done.”

Mr Fajimi further stressed that “there was no plan to leave the place permanently closed. Dr Akande has said the place will be re-opened after meeting with management. [MUSCOYS] should have reported exactly what happened and not present this story the way they did. It is high time journalists verify their stories before dissemination, they should always try to find out the true situation before they begin to tell stories.”

“Come to think of it, if he is anti-Muslim for closing a mosque as stated in the falsehood report, is he also anti-Christian? Surely, if one religion was being exalted above the other, the Christians would be allowed to continue using their space while Muslims were stopped.” 

“Interestingly, Alhaji Dawud Makanjuola Akinola the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States, who has waded into the matter, saw the need to ensure the hygienic and pious worship by Ummah, by commencing the construction of modern toilet facilities for the OYSADA mosque. If there was nothing wrong with the facility, why would they want to expedite repairs?”  Mr Fajimi asked.

Iyabo Adebisi

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Agriculture

Food Security: Oyo Govt. Trains 66 Facilitators, Desk Officers

By Web News 489

Oyo State government has trained its 66 desk and facilitators across the thirty-three local government areas of the state to assist small-scale farmers in cushioning the effect of Covid-19 towards boosting food security.

The training which is with the support of the World Bank is to scale up the intervention that would help the farmers to increase food production in the state.

Addressing the trainees via -Zoom at the programme held at the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, OYSADA, Headquarters Saki, the Director General of OYSADA, Dr Debo Akande noted that the Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (N-CARES) programmes are an Oyo State Government/World Bank Assisted Project with the objective to enhance the food supply chain.

Dr Akande who is also the Executive Adviser to the Governor on Agribusiness explained that desk and facilitators would be a soldier in supporting all these farmers and young people in all the 33 local government areas of the state to identify the beneficiaries who needed the support.

Akande said, “N-CARES is expected to support the farmers that were attacked by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the young farmers that are into small-scale farming but deeply involved in the agricultural and agribusiness value chain”. 

He further said, “one of the reasons why many of you were selected as facilitators to be part of this agricultural scheme is because you are young, vibrant and dynamic, few of you I’m aware completed training at Nasarawa State under the state Youth Employment Agribusiness Project, YEAP, initiative, and I’m also aware that only a few of you like 20 out of over 3,000 that attended the training were selected for this program, this means that you are ICT guaranteed and you must adopt the use of technology a lot in driving this project at hand”.

“Don’t allow people to tell you that this is not how we used to do it during the days of FADAMA, or OYSADEP, this is not a FADAMA nor OYSADEP program, we are looking for new technology, new ideas, new innovations, we cannot continue to do things in the same way and expect a different result, there must be new approaches to deliver things for the development of our dear state, and we are counting on you people to provide all these platforms and knowledge on farm approaches.”

Earlier, the Result Area 2 Project Coordinator in the state, Mr Abimbola Bamgbola said, “N-Cares programmes are designed to restore the livelihood of the poor and vulnerable, maintaining food security and facilitating recovery of Moses which are some of the key objectives set out in the government’s economic sustainable plan to respond to the current economic crisis in Nigeria”.

He noted that the orientation and training of the facilitators and desk officers in the state is to acquaint them with the implementation procedures and guidelines for the project. 

Mr Bamgbola commended the state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde for the commencement of the intervention programmes for the affected farmers in the state even before the Federal government intervention project.

In an interview, two of the participants, Mr Ogunyanju Akeem Babatunde, a desk officer from Atiba Local Government and Moses Odigie, a Facilitator from Ibarapa Local government described the training as worthwhile.

They also promised to make good use of the training for the development of the state.

Iyabo Adebisi

Politics

Oyo Government Concludes Distribution of Palliatives to 90,000 Poor families

By Web News 802

Oyo state government has concluded the distribution of pallatives to the 90,000 poorest of the poor to cushion the effect of Covid-19 in the state.

Concluding the distribution exercise, Governor Seyi Makinde and some members of his cabinet, visited some of the identified households in Oke Ado, Foko, Oja-Oba and Oranyan areas in Ibadan South West Local Government.

Governor Makinde personally handed over food items such as rice, beans and garri including vegetable oil to some of the beneficiaries.

Speaking with journalists after the exercise, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agricbusiness, Dr. Debo Akande said the ongoing palliatives distribution to identified 120 households across the state has no political undertone.

Dr. Akande said the second phase of the exercise would be for the identified 30,000 vulnerable households.

He said the feedback gotten and analysis done so far has shown that the exercise was a systematic approach to distribution of goods to the right set of people.

While noting that the palliative measures were in two ways, the food distribution and Agricultural inputs to support farmers, explained that not less than 10,000 farmers would benefit from the support within the next two weeks.

Iyabo Adebisi