ADO-EKITI   —FOUNDER of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, yesterday, attributed the problems facing Nigeria to the abandonment of agriculture.

Babalola said this when he received the Africa Man of the Year Award in Food Security for 2024, by the Forum for International Green Sustainability, FIGS, held in Ado-Ekiti.

He warned that no nation, especially in Africa, can thrive or achieve greatness without a viable and productive agricultural sector.

The ABUAD founder, who described Nigeria as a net consuming country, said the country cannot achieve true development without prioritizing large-scale production of goods and services, particularly in agriculture.

He urged governments at all levels to create conducive environments for farmers to ply their trade, stressing that this would enable the subnational to be a self-sustaining food hub.

His words: “The major cause of our problems in this country is that we do not produce, and yet, we eat. Even the Bible teaches us that he who does not work does not deserve to eat. Why then are we disobeying this time-tested Biblical injunction?

“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.

“Today, as we speak, our farmers under the umbrella of Afe Babalola Beneficiaries are influencing people positively in Oyo, Lagos and Osun, among several others.

“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.

“I do not believe any Nigerian should complain of hunger, especially with our God-given fertile lands, lots of rains and so on.

“In short, the problems we have in this country can be traced to the abandonment of Agriculture. 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.”

Earlier in his remarks, FIGS’ Country Representative, Mr Caleb Osasona, explained that Babalola’s contributions to the development of Agriculture and food security earned him the Award.