Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Niji Group, Farmer Kolawole Adeniji, has called on the Federal Government to prioritise funding for Nigeria’s research institutions and to establish independent financial bodies to monitor the utilisation of such funds.
Farmer Adeniji, a trained Mechanical Engineering Technologist with over 25 years of experience, made this appeal while featuring on the weekly radio programme Ayekooto on Radio anchored by the publisher of ParrotXtra Magazine, Olayinka Agboola, and broadcast live on Splash 105.5FM, Felele, Ibadan, Oyo State recently.
He also urged the government to urgently tackle issues contributing to food insecurity and to create an enabling environment for genuine farmers to thrive.
Sharing insights on global best practices in port management, Adeniji said: “I was part of the people that went on an excursion to Miami Ports, one of the biggest ports in the world. There, you hardly see containers waiting unnecessarily. As containers come in, a truck goes in with only one driver. They load the container and it drives out immediately. Everything is computerised. You go in with the container number you want to pick, they tell you where it is, and you’re trans-loading instantly.
“Unlike Nigeria, where when your goods come in, you’ll wait two to three months for clearance, no matter how prepared you are. You still end up paying for damages and unnecessary charges. We’re not doing the right thing. If we don’t sanitise our ports, it will continue to affect almost every aspect of our economy.”
Recounting what inspired him to venture into agriculture, he shared: “The first day I went to Germany through Tideland, I was looking at their farm from the air and thought it was a football field, it was that organised. The green and brown areas were structured. I said to myself, these people love playing football, not realising it was farmland. When I got closer, I realised how structured their farming was. That day, I promised myself I would own the biggest farm in Africa.
“When I returned to Nigeria, I went searching for land and found one in Oke Ogun. I fabricated the processing equipment I needed right there. But when I started farming, I realised we don’t really have farmers. Many who call themselves farmers are simply those with nothing else to do in the city.”
He lamented how pervasive corruption in Nigeria has deterred foreign investors and urged the government to confront this challenge head-on.
“I import and assemble tractors. There was a time I brought in tractors and paid all the duties. But because I refused to comply with a demand for un-receipted payments, the tractors were delayed in the depot for almost three weeks. This sort of corrupt practice discourages investment.”
Speaking on cassava’s economic potential, Adeniji said: “Cassava is a crop you can’t lose on. If you don’t sell the root, the stem is still useful. In other African countries, even the leaves are used. The protein content of cassava leaves is over 26%. From cassava peel alone, you can produce Garri, Fufu, Lafun, Starch, and Flour, not to mention Methanol and Sorbitol for industrial use.”
He emphasised the need for a system that empowers true farmers and encourages innovation and value-chain development in the agricultural sector.
Packaged by Dare Raji and Oluwajoba Agboola
