Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has been strongly admonished to make serious efforts to identify real farmers in the state if he wants to uplift agricultural practices in the state.
In an open letter to the governor in Parrot Xtra Magazine (our sister publication), Chief Azeez Maboreje, farmers’ Ambassador drew the attention of the hard working governor of Oyo State to the fact that most of those parading themselves around as farmers and not, in any way on ‘ground’.
Read the full text of the open letter here:
Open Letter To Governor Seyi Makinde From Farmers’ Ambassador
It gives me great pleasure to be reaching out to you via this medium Your Excellency sir.
Before anything, I will like to thank God on your behalf and on behalf of the good people of Oyo State because we now have a government that can effortlessly relate with the people.
Mr Governor, please, allow me to also congratulate you for achieving so much in your first 100 days in office. This is not by your making. God has, indeed proven that He is with you.
If you will recollect, we held the first ever Farmers’ Gubernatorial National Debate’ some weeks before the gubernatorial election that ushered you in as the governor of Oyo State.
During the debate which was organized by Farmers’ Market in conjunction with Baale Agbe In-Council and Farm & Infrastructure Foundation, you and other candidates agreed with us that we should hold you responsible for all the promises you made at the debate. And you even humbly signed – to convince us that you were serious and ready to fulfill your promises.
Today, we are more than impressed that you are already fulfilling your promises. You started showing signs that you would be faithful to those who massively voted you in right from the day your vibrant government was inaugurated at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly Liberty Stadium), Ibadan.
There and then, you cancelled the N3,000 levy mounted on the heads of parents whose children attended government schools under the last administration.
In addition, you instituted a style of leadership that refrained from embarking on new projects that will only speak good of your government but will, at the long run be abandoned.
You have also shown all that you are sincere by fulfilling your promise that civil servants would be paid on the 25th of every month. The same thing has been going for Pensioners who now smile home with their hard-earned entitlements without stress. In addition, you publicly declared your assets.
To show that your focus is on how to restore the glory of Oyo State, you never dwelled on negatives. You paid on-the-spot assessment visits to strategic projects of government and made decisions. The Abattoir at Amosun Village in Akinyele Local Government and the Adeoyo State Hospital are examples.
You have also looked beyond party lines, age, gender and other considerations to find the best crop of individuals to implement your vision for the state.
Equally, you held strategic engagement with agri-sector stakeholders during the Oyo State Agribusiness Strategic Planning Retreat which included a tour of the renowned Songhai farms to replicate the model in Oyo State; entered a public-private partnership arrangement with agritech company, Farmcrowdy, to commence a three-year plan working with 50,000 farmers to boost agribusiness in Oyo State.
In addition, you took charge of security. You even attracted Mr Fatai Owoseni, a brilliant and retired Commissioner of Police to become your Special Adviser on Security. This is because you know without security, even, we Farmers will not be able to go to our farms to work especially in these days of Fulani Herdsmen’s troubles.
We farmers are absolutely excited about your pro-active approach to governance. We discussed the issue of the Awe Silo on our ‘Oja Agbe’ radio programme and you immediately reacted by visiting Awe. Shortly later, we mentioned Ijaye Farm Settlement and the advantages of making it serve its purpose, you equally visited the place and made positive pronouncements. We farmers will forever be grateful to you for this because these are important projects that touch the lives of farmers.
One can go on and on. But at the end of the day, when the good people of the state are ready to assess you, they will be able to convince themselves that they have not made a wrong choice, they will tell themselves that you are the round peg in a round hole.
However sir, I will like to submit here that:
- We will appreciate it if you can identify with us further because we are the real farmers with data base. We are on ground. We know ourselves from Aba Nla, to Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso to Kishi and back to Ibarapaland.
- As the Public Relations Officer of Day Old Chicks’ Merchants Association of Nigeria, we will like to plead with you Sir, to grant us the permission to use our businesses to contribute to the promotion of the economy of the state. We have laudable proposals for your attention in this respect.
- Your Excellency, please use your good offices to help urge the Oyo State House of Assembly to expedite action on the ‘Open Grazing Bill’. This bill will help put an end to the activities of the bad eggs among Fulani Herdsmen. (Meanwhile, we have been doing our best to maintain peace between our Farmers and these so called bad eggs among the herders)
- Kindly note too sir that we are almost ready to send in a Bill titled ‘Right To Food’ to the Assembly. We are hopeful of your support of this.
- God has blessed this State with research institutes and intellectually sound people that can drive the economy of the State through the agriculture sector like Dr Debo Akande IITA, and your aid on agri-business. Thank you for having him with you.
- Also, people like Professor Olakojo of IAR&T, Obafemi Awolowo University who has been making waves throughout Nigeria as a professional is from Oyo State. He can also come and serve his own people as well here.
While concluding, we will like to let you know that we have been encouraging our grassroots farmers to keep praying for you sir.
Yours faithfully,
Chief Azeez M. Maboreje
Farmers’ Ambassador
08033972746
