You have been conducting training and seminars for people on how to get
empowered through agriculture. How far have you gone?
We thank God that for 24 weeks, we have engaged in seminars for
interested participants in our agricultural programme and I am pleased
to inform you that we have been given land by the people of Epe and have
been given the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) on the land by the
Lagos State Government. We are thankful to the (Babatunde) Fashola
administration for this gesture.
What is the next stage?
The next stage is what we are currently doing. We are given participants
plots of land for building houses and farming. You know that the
programme is based on farm settlement. What people think we may not be
able to achieve has been achieved. We now have NAAEP farm settlement at
Igbonla-Ijih Road, Abapawa, Epe. By the grace of God, we shall do the
turning of the sod early 2010. One thing about this farm settlement is
that it will be different from any we have seen before. It will be
mechanised and computerised farming at its best, while the farm will be
GPRS enabled and it will be accessed by anybody all over the world.
Do you have any special package for your participants?
NAAEP is a serious company. We have ensured that every participant will
have insurance cover. Banks are also involved. We have First Bank of
Nigeria and Union Bank Nigeria. We will be signing memoranda of
understanding with them as soon as their requirements are met by the
people. The banks and NAAEP will manage the loan to ensure optimal
returns on investment. We are a serious company and we will not do
things without employing best practices. We will deliver world-class
services and Nigerians will be proud of us.
What is your target?
Our target is to be able to feed Nigerians by the next harvest season
and also hope to export in the nearest future.
Nigerian American Empowerment Programme Limited led a team of some
American farmers and Mayor of Iowa in the United States into the
country. How did it all start and what was the purpose of the visit?
Otunba Ayo Oduntan is the chairman of
NAAEP. He was the one who led the team as the chairman. Two years ago,
the Mayor of Iowa, Dr. James Havens, gave President Umaru Yar’Adua and I
the key to the city of Iowa. He also gave us the proclamation. Iowa
happens to be the bread basket of America. One of the farmers, Mr. Boge,
met with the President two years ago. Our visit is the follow-up of all
that has been done since the time the President visited the United
States and met with the farmers. The team also included the
representative of Arkansas World Trade Center. Arkansas is the number
five rice-growing state in the whole world. We also have some farmers
from Huston and Virginia. They were here for a purpose, and that was to
assist in developing our agriculture sector and to support President
Yar’Adua in his Seven-point Agenda. What we are doing is to support the
President. I also have to honestly give credit to His Eminence, the
Sultan
of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III. He spoke passionate to us, the
Diasporans, that it is time we came home to help in the eradication of
poverty. He also appealed to us that we are all one. I made up my mind
that day that because he was very passionate about of poverty, I am
going to gather some experts in different fields in agriculture and I
will bring them to Nigeria to support the Nigerian government, including
the state and local governments, so that we can contribute to
eradication of poverty.
I have to also give credit to Dr. Ebitimi
Banigo who also gave us support. He said he his looking forward to an
agricultural revolution in the country. I told him that was what we are
planning to do and that I have some experts which I will bring into the
country to assist in revolutionalising agriculture in the country. I
need to also thank Prof. Pat Utomi, the chairman of the South South
Economic Summit. He is always in the United States. Another person that
I need to thank for his support for NAAEP is
Otunba
Ayo Oduntan. He has been spending his money and time to make things
happen.
How would you access the impact of the visit of the farmers and the
Mayor to Nigeria?
The team, when we went to Epe, told me that it will take three months to
clear the land. They (members of the team) said they were ready to bring
their equipment and start. When we went to visit the Lagos State
Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Chief Enoch Ajiboso, he
told us what the state government has done towards revamping
agriculture. Our meeting with the Commissioner was a follow-up of the
meeting between Governor Fashola and Mr. Boge when he was in the United
States about two years ago. When the Commissioner showed us what Lagos
State Government has done, the farmers were so impressed. We then agreed
to work to assist in empowering our people.
Are the American farmers coming back?
Yes, they are coming to stay with the farmers for six months. The good
news is that they are ready to buy the farm produce through African
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Americans had problems with their
land last year because of hurricane. It is better for them to come to
Africa and farm the same seed and then buy ii from our people and take
it back to the United States. Most of the states we discussed with have
told us what they want from us. For instance, Lagos State wants rice,
poultry and fishery. I saw the fishery they are doing here; though it is
perfect, what we are bringing is the fish food. The fish that will be
fed with our fish food will be ready in three months. The chicken feeds
will be brought in from America. The rice we are bringing will be done
in four and a half months. Luckily, the Arkansas rice we are bringing
doesn’t need to be parboiled. We are going to set up a rice mill, so, as
they are harvesting the rice, they will be bagging them.
Are you bringing the seedlings from America?
Everything will be from the United States. The first thing to be done is
that the soil will be tested with the computer. What we are bringing in
is computerised farming. The testing of the soil will determine the
grade of the seed to be planted. It can be Grade A or B. For instance,
Grade A doesn’t need fertiliser. It is the computerised soil testing
that will tell us the different grades we are going to use. You can
imagine that in six months time, there will be plenty of rice in Lagos;
and in two months, there will be plenty of fish.
Do you have any message for the people of Epe?
We have agreement with them to involve
indigenes of Epe in the scheme. We are giving them 30 per cent
allocation to show our appreciation. I need to say “thank you” to the
entire Epe people, Oba
Michael Gbadebo Onakoya and the chairman of Eredo Local Government, Laja
Adelaja, for what they have done to make this a reality.
The team attended the recently held South South Economic Summit. What
was the experience like?
It was very interesting. I personally presented a paper. The paper was
titled Global Competitiveness In Agricultural Produce For The South
South Region. I was blessed to be with the six states Commissioners for
Agriculture. I was impressed with what they are doing. From what I have
seen in the South South states on agricultural projects and empowerment
of the youths and women, the governors are ready to take the people to
the next level. They have all agreed to work with us. We will be doing
it every state at a time. When we finish one month in a state, we will
go to another state. Luckily, the six South South states and Lagos are
interested in rice, poultry and fishery. They have even agreed to give
us land for the pilot programme. Lagos State Government has already
shown us some land in Epe. We are going to build two, three bedroom
houses for the farmers with solar panel and water.
Is it going to be like an agriculture town?
Yes, it is going to be farm settlement. The farms will have solar energy
and water. They will need the solar for their poultry and the water for
their fishery. We are making this project very attractive because if we
do not, the young adult won’t come.
See Photo Coverage of
NAAEP business in Nigeria.
