Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. Governor Makinde’s focus on Agribusiness where he has transformed existing under-utilised and moribund farm settlements in Oyo State to agribusiness industrial parks is a unique one.
In the days of yore, the south west Nigeria under Chief Obafemi Awolowo leadership was known for its Cocoa and other food and cash crops, an attestation of agricultural potentials of the region. The region used to be the biggest producer of cocoa in the whole world. Awo utilized cocoa revenue to develop the south-west, building all its vital institutions when he led the geo-political zone in the 1950s.
Similarly, Governor Makinde focus on Agribusiness where he observed that the state has comparative advantage and with agro-processing, Oyo economy will progressively expand. He proposed nine agribusiness industrial parks with the aim of making the state’s agricultural sector globally competitive. Fashola Agro-Industrial Hub as the first of nine integrated agro-industrial parks that is being built across the state by the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA).
Fasola Agro-Industrial Hub which include dedicated crop and livestock production facilities, research and innovation centres, processing facilities, agricultural equipment leasing facilities, cold-chain, storage, packaging, distribution and export facilities and a sprawling residential area. The Agro-Industrial Hub is on 1,200-hectares of land.
The Agro-industrial hub play vital role in Oyo State, as it foster a rapid industrialisation path through encouraging manufacturing and agro-processing industries; it also helps in advancing the state’s economy, it has reduced rural poverty; it creates a better environment for investors in agro-food and allied sectors. He also constructed hundreds of kilometers of roads that will ease the transportation of farm produce.
Oyo State government under the leadership of Governor Makinde has also taken a forward-thinking approach towards agribusiness with two programmes. The Start Them Early Program (STEP) in Oyo State secondary schools in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP).
STEP now runs in Secondary schools in Oyo State. These are UMCA Grammar School (UMCA), Igbeti; Iresaadu High School (IHS), Iresaadu; Bishop Phillips Academy, (BPA) Ibadan; Fasola Grammar School (FGS), Fasola; Methodist High School (MHS), Ibadan; Adegun Asake Grammar School (AAGS), Igangan; Mount Olivet Grammar School (MOGS) Ibadan; Apode High School (AHS), Eruwa; Christ High School (CHS), Ibadan; and Wesley College of Science (WCS), Ibadan.
The impact of this programme is seen in the change in the attitude of the students towards agriculture. From a general lack of interest and a perception that agriculture is only for old poor people who must rely on hoes and cutlasses to farm, to over 70% positive sentiments towards getting involved in agribusiness.
Makinde has also made provision for adequate agricultural extension services by making the living conditions in the agricultural production sites conducive through the provision of rural infrastructure such as health facilities, and good roads, among others.
The state is now witnessing the effect of Agribusiness Development Agency bill signed into law in April 2020 by Governor Seyi Makinde which has made the agency based in Saki to develop a strategy which is coordinating and implementing agribusiness investments and projects in the state through public, private and development partnerships.
It can be inferred that Seyi Makinde’s AgriBussiness represents the echoes and reincarnation of the ideas of late sage who Awolowo who not only introduced free education but created farm settlements , where cash crops like Oil palm, kolanuts , cocoa etc not crude oil as the major role of self reliance and sacking scarcity and hunger as we saw and keep seeing now. Makinde has revamped Akufo farm settlement in Ido local government and Eruwa farm settlement in Ibarapa East local government.
There are many achievements recorded by this administration in agricultural sector and this has really improved the economy of the state. The state government under the leadership of Governor Makinde has also created a database of 10,000 smallholder farmers under the Oyo State Agricultural Micro-Enterprise Scheme, the bio-metric data of all the farmers and GPS of their farms has been captured for authentications of the farmers and this will improve the sector performance.
Through the Oyo State Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP) where government of Governor Makinde has trained over 3,000 youth this year, the trainees have been able to undergo intensive technical training in agribusiness, critical entrepreneurship and business skills and they have been able to have access to innovative ideas and technologies for business creation and development and this will enable this state to have pool of well-trained entrepreneurs that respond to market demands within the State and across the sub-Saharan region of Africa, reduced youth unemployment, and enhance livelihoods in Oyo State as envisioned by late sage, Obafemi Awolowo.
Governor Seyi Makinde has digressed from conventional educational approach to entrepreneurial education, Seyi we know.
Honourable (Barrister) Rita Orji is an ally of Governor Seyi Makinde and National Coordinator, Dynamic Group For Makinde’s Second Term.
