Legal icon and International multiple awards winner, Aare Afe Babalola has attained another feat by becoming the “African Man of The Year In Food Security”.
The founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, SAN, was conferred with the Award by the
The honour was in recognition of Babalola’s contributions to Agriculture development and food security in Nigeria.
Responding, Babalola noted that the world population was increasing at a geometric rate and land remains static .
He pointed out that since man on planet earth must eat and failure to eat will lead to death,adding that the place and importance of agriculture in human existence cannot be underestimated.
Outlining areas of interventions,the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) charged the Federal Government to revive the moribund farm settlement in Nigeria.
He also encouraged the local governments to assemble farm implements which they will hire to farmers at subsidized rate and produce seedlings for sale to farmers at low prices.
According to him, the government should ensure that farmers do not only produce food crops but cash crops, saying this will ensure the revival of the cocoa in the West, Rubber and palm oil in Edo and Delta states and the groundnut pyramids of the north in those days.
The elder statesman pointed out that the government should ensure that allocation to local governments go to them directly and not through their respective governors.
Babalola said :”the government should revive the old farm settlements by Awolowo in the former Western Region and extend it to other states in the country.
“As part of my resolve to encourage agriculture, I reduce school fees of students studying agriculture by 50 percent in our university. In addition, I give seed money of N250,000 to every graduate in agriculture from Afe Babalola University.
“At the state level, I have in the last ten years been organizing the annual agric festival in Ado-Ekiti called ABAEX (Afe Babalola Agric Expo) with the best overall farmer in the state going home with N2,000,000.
“The best three farmers in each of the 16 local government councils in the state with goes home with N1,000,000 among themselves”
The elder statesman added that his philosophy is that ideas rule the world, saying it is only those who can translate their ideas into action that can successfully change the world.
“It is because of my ability to translate my ideas in agriculture and food security into action that has won me this award”.
The Chancellor of ABUAD, pay special tribute to the Global Food Security Committee of the Initiative for Green Sustainability for promoting interest in agriculture and for emphasizing the importance of food security.