Ekiti State Farmers Receives N5m Support

farmers

As part of effort to encourage farmers to return to agriculture, foremost educationist and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, has provided N5 million to some farmers in Ekiti State.

Speaking at the maiden edition of the Aare Afe Babalola Food Security Expo, ABAFEX 2015, Babalola said the donation, being an annual event, would see the best farmer in the state carting away N1 million while the best farmer in each of the state’s 16 local government areas would take home N250, 000.

He said: “Today we are here in fulfillment of the promise we made. I can see an array of farmers with their farm produce. I can see jubilant farmers dancing all the way. I am not only happy, but thrilled that people are still happy being involved in agriculture. This Expo will be on for four days and at the end of it all, I will be physically and personally present to present the cheques to the winners and this will subsequently become an annual event”.

According to the founder, this approach will enable the country retrace its steps back to the pre-oil era.
On the place of ABUAD in the Food Security Expo, Babalola said “ABUAD is established to change things for the better. We make things happen. We are equally here to set standards and we are the first University in Nigeria to engage in this kind of venture.

“We will not stop here. We will not stop thinking. We will be devising ways of improving. That is one of the essential ele­ments of a modern university”, he added

In his remarks, Governor Fayose while commending Ba­balola for his immense contri­butions in all facets of human endeavours, also pledged to sup­port the programme with N1 million annually.

It would be recalled that Babalola had earlier made the promise of 5 million naira to farmers in Ekiti State during his investiture as Africa’s Man of the Year in Food Security by the Forum for International Green Sustainability, FIGS.