Founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, has said that Nigeria’s current economic and social troubles are largely due to the country’s neglect of agriculture.
He made this statement while receiving the 2024 Africa Man of the Year Award in Food Security from the Forum for International Green Sustainability (FIGS) in Ado-Ekiti.
During the award ceremony, Babalola noted that Nigeria, once known for its rich farming culture, has strayed far from its agricultural roots, resulting in widespread poverty and food insecurity.
“No country, especially in Africa, can grow or succeed without strong agricultural development,” Babalola noted, adding that Nigeria has become a “net consuming” nation that relies too heavily on imports rather than producing its own food and goods.
He pointed out that Nigeria must return to serious, large-scale agricultural production if it wants to move forward. According to him, governments at every level need to support farming by creating a safe and productive space for farmers.
Babalola recalled how, when he founded ABUAD in 2009, he made agriculture a key part of the university’s curriculum.
He said: “When I started this University in 2009, I made Agriculture a matter of priority. I made Agriculture a compulsory subject for every student. To encourage more of our young people to make a career out of Agriculture, I slashed the tuition for those studying Agriculture by 50%. And that is not all, upon graduation, I give every graduate of Agriculture the sum of N250,000 as seed money to start his/her Agri-business.”
He added that the university’s efforts are already paying off. Graduates of ABUAD’s agriculture program, working under the name Afe Babalola Beneficiaries, are already making positive changes in states like Lagos, Oyo, and Osun.
Babalola called on the Nigerian government to do more to support farmers, saying: “What governments at all levels need to do is to encourage farming and make the environment conducive for all so that Nigerians could farm without let or hindrance.”
He further stressed the need for Nigerians to stop complaining about hunger when the country is blessed with fertile soil and good rainfall. He believes that the country’s problems can largely be solved if agriculture is taken seriously once again.
“In short, the problems we have in this country can be traced to the abandonment of Agriculture,” he said. “It will be my joy to see my people comfortable, live in peace, go to the farm peacefully, and come back home without harm. I insist that without Agriculture, this country cannot make it.”
