Born in the Diaspora, living 90% of my life outside Nigeria, the call to serve & do something in Nigeria is a patriotic one. I can never deny my roots like Kemi, the newly elected Conservative leader. Even Rishi embraced his Hindu, Indian, & African roots.
I benefited from 3 years of free education & free health under the UPN government in the early eighties, finishing secondary school. I always knew one day I would give something back.
Investing in agriculture at this time of food price inflation & some screaming Ebi pa wa is very important.
The social media & some news outlets, for reasons best known to them, insist Nigerians are not going to the farms.
My experience on the ground shows this narrative is a fraudulent one set to instill fear and discontentment amongst the polity. Farming is going on everywhere; otherwise, there will be famine in the land.
The causes of food price inflation are many but largely due to poor agricultural methods, a lack of mass mechanised farming, poor transport infrastructure, fuel price hikes, and inadequate storage, processing, & preservation of agricultural and horticultural produce.
There are pockets of insecurity here and there, but it is to be expected in a complex country the size of Nigeria. Most insecurity is in the North, & it is something their leaders acknowledge they must come to grips with.
Before coming, I was told armed Fulani herdsmen are rampant all over the SW, especially where my farm is located, and that I was taking unnecessary risks in pursuing farming.
On the contrary, it is true the area where I farm is festooned with Fulani herdsmen, but they live & have largely relocated & settled permanently in the SW, living amongst the people as one.
They speak our language & intermarry. They herd their cows, sheep, & goats on fallow grounds, helping to manure the land. Most of the cows I see every day are fat from the land. A far cry from the emaciated cows one sees trecking for miles from north to south in pursuit of greener pastures & water during the dry season.
I am glad I took up the challenge to come to Nigeria and start farming. Staying over for 3 months at a stretch has been exciting & challenging, from looking for accommodation to coping with transport challenges and dealing with workers.
I learnt a lot, and there is still much more to learn. I have cleared a reasonable part of the farm and planted cassava and a few sweet potatoes. The rainy season is on it’s way out, so it was too late to plant corn.
All things will come to a halt now, just having a solitary farmhand to oversee the place and keep down weeds in the perimeter and periodic spraying once the cassava has grown to a good height.
Cassava gestation is 8 to 9 months, so one doesn’t have to babysit the cassava; just be sure one is their before harvest; otherwise, one might hear one excuse or the other about lack of yield when in fact some farmhands and locals may uproot and sell the cassava (stealing), which is what it is. It is imperative to be on the ground before & during harvest.
I will be planting yams, plantains, & other crops, so I will back before long to clear more land & cultivate more crops before harvesting the cassava.
I will also be installing a solar-powered borehole & excavating a man-made lake, as well as building a farm house. Omo Ogun Ese ya.
Going back, I’m looking forward to seeing my family. There won’t be much rest as I have work to do. I will miss Nigeria but will be back soon for another episode of Naija Travels.
If you are thinking of going back to Naija for business or retirement, please let me know. If you are back already, let’s share notes so as to avoid the usual pitfalls and make your venture a success & not another sad story.
I want to give special thanks to all those who encouraged & supported me on this journey, including my family & friends, ordinary Nigerians, as well as President Obasanjo, who was very open & supportive. I will be going on a tour of some of his farms on my next visit.
I will also update you on the progress of supplies for Obete Health Care Centre once the items have been installed.
I believe in One9ja; we all want & deserve a Betta9ja
Please share, thanks Femi Oke
Betta9ja
