The Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has announced plans to establish an Ekiti Farmers’ House to be domiciled in Ado-Ekiti, as part of efforts to promote large-scale and productive modern farming in the state.
Babalola, who disclosed this on Saturday at the grand finale of the 2026 Afe Babalola Agricultural Expo, ABAEX, in Ado-Ekiti, said the initiative is aimed at making agriculture attractive to youths and university graduates.
According to the nonagenarian legal icon, the proposed Farmers’ House will have a secretariat for meetings and coordination of farmers across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.
He explained that in partnership with the Ekiti State Government and the 16 LGAs, the Farmers’ House will acquire modern farm implements such as bulldozers, ridgers, ploughs and harvesters, among others, which will be rented to farmers at low rates to enable them engage in large-scale farming without relying on crude tools.
He expressed concern that many Nigerians had abandoned agriculture for white-collar jobs, menial employment or idleness, leading to increasing hunger and dependence on government palliatives.
The ABUAD founder, who said he was born and raised on a farm, explained that his early experience of farming with his father had shaped his enduring passion for agriculture.
Babalola said despite his later achievements in law, education, healthcare and philanthropy, he had retained large hectares of land for the cultivation of arable and cash crops.
He challenged secondary schools, polytechnics and universities to give greater attention to agricultural education and practical farming, while urging young people to shun fraudulent activities and embrace productive ventures.
According to him, Nigeria must deliberately return to agriculture if it is to regain its lost economic glory, noting that the country was once a leading global producer of palm oil and cocoa.
He said the decline in the agricultural sector was partly responsible for the food insecurity and economic hardship being experienced by Nigerians.
Babalola urged the beneficiaries to invest their prize money wisely, describing the awards as seed capital capable of transforming their agricultural businesses if judiciously utilised.
He said his personal experience had taught him that the amount of money available to an individual was less important than how wisely it was invested.
He said he had started investing in education while earning only one pound per month and had consistently reinvested the returns from his efforts to achieve his present status.
Representing Governor Biodun Oyebanji at the ceremony, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, commended Babalola for his sustained support for farmers and agricultural development in Ekiti.
Boluwade said recent agricultural production data validated by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Office, an accredited agency under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, showed that production of major crops in the state had increased between 2022 and 2025.
He attributed the improvement to the resilience of farmers and various interventions by the state government and private sector partners.
The commissioner said the Oyebanji administration had, in the last four years, supported farmers through free land-clearing activities, which had benefited more than 5,000 farmers, tractorisation subsidy, access to fertilisers and agrochemicals, improved seeds and seedlings and market expansion initiatives.
He disclosed that the state had also secured approval from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to establish a Special Agro-Processing Zone in Ekiti, describing the project as a major intervention that would create jobs for youths and increase the income of farmers.
Boluwade said the state government would continue its partnership with ABAEX to strengthen food security and expand opportunities in the agricultural sector.
He also disclosed that he had responded to a loan request by the farmers’ cooperative, noting that the Oyebanji administration would place greater emphasis on cooperatives in its second term to enable small and medium-scale enterprises to expand.
The Vice-Chancellor of ABUAD, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, also commended Babalola for his sustained investment in farmers and his commitment to the development of agriculture through ABAEX.
She said the agricultural expo had grown into an important platform for recognising, rewarding and encouraging farmers while inspiring a new generation of Nigerians to embrace agriculture.
The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Professor Abiodun Ojo, disclosed that the 2026 edition also featured the training and empowerment of 32 youths drawn from the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State in plantain chips production.
He said the beneficiaries were trained in production, packaging and marketing to enable them to develop commercially viable businesses and compete effectively in the market.