The governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Tuesday, said that the establishment of farm labs (settlements) across the country is the only panacea to ensure food sufficiency for the people.
The governor stated that with the current situation in the country, it is time for Nigerians to embrace agriculture and form the habit of eating what they grow and grow what they eat.
Prince Abiodun spoke during a visit to the Soilless Farm Lab, located at Awowo in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.
Relating the Farm Lab to a similar initiative he saw some years ago in Israel, where people work, live, worship, and play in a farm settlement, Prince Abiodun said the Soilless initiative is an inspiring model that should be replicated across the country.
He noted that he would encourage the setting up of similar settlements in other parts of the state, adding that it is one initiative that the Federal Government would support.
He said, “We are going to support the Chief Executive Officer of this project and the trainees, and we are going to replicate this in Ogun State, and I believe that other states would also key into it as it would solve food problems and unemployment.”
Governor Abiodun also announced that the state government has waived the payment of any form of fees for the issuance of all title documents to encourage the promoters of the Farm Lab.
He said the management of the farm would receive all the title documents within 24 hours.
He enthused, “As a responsible state government, we are going to work with you. I had asked how far you had gone with regularizing your documents for this place, and you said you are not quite sure, that you are still struggling with it.
“Today, by the authority vested in me as the executive governor of Ogun State, in the next 24 hours, you will receive all your title documents for this place.
“And guess what? I waive all the fees, every single fee. The state government will not charge you a fee for the title document of this place; that is the least we can do.”
Prince Abiodun also announced a donation of N20 million to the farm trainees on behalf of the state government.
He added, “I have asked Samson Ogbole (the team lead) to come and meet me so we can both fashion out the kind of support that he needs now and will need in the immediate future and how to replicate what is going on here.
“But I also want to support all of you. I am so encouraged by your level of enthusiasm, commitment, how intentional and deliberate you are, how responsible you all are. You know what you are; you are all champions.
“On behalf of the state government, I am donating N20 million to all of you.”
Abiodun also expressed his delight at the beautiful tapestry of people from the length and breadth of the country and even outside the country, commending the team lead of the farm (Samson Ogbole) for taking in over 1,000 trainee farmers between the ages of 18 and 35 years every three months.
Governor Abiodun further commended Ogbole for building leaders, capacity, and for generating revenue and foreign exchange, describing the Soilless Farm Lab as a perfect example of a public-private partnership that should be replicated across the country.
He also acknowledged the Alawo of Awowo, Oba Abdul-Fatai Olasunkanmi Tijani, for embracing the development of his town and the idea of the Soilless Farm Lab when it was first brought to his attention by the team lead of the farm.
In his remarks, Oba Tijani commended the administration of Governor Abiodun for looking after the welfare of monarchs in the state, acknowledging the governor for allowing the establishment of the farm, even after the immediate administration refused to give the nod for the commencement of the project.
Earlier in his remarks, Ogbole noted that the farm started the work-and-learn program in September 2020, adding that the farm has been able to train over 10,000 people between then and November 2022.
He added that in the last one year and six months, the farm has successfully trained 6,000 young people from 28 states across the country, saying that the current batch has foreigners from Cameroon and Togo.
He said, “What we were doing is that everywhere we are going to set up a farm, while we were setting up a farm in that state, we do free training. We used the free training to get workers for free. But as they work for free, they are also learning for free. So, we tagged it ‘Work and Learn’.”
