A 70 years old mechanised farmer in the country has called on Nigerians to take farming seriously, saying he makes N2 million annually from maize farming alone.
“I have seven children who are all graduates and I catered for them through farming. One of my sons has joined me in farming and we make an average of N2 million annually from maize farming alone,” said Pa. Isaiah Oladejo, whose farm is based in Osogbo, OsunState.
He enjoined the youths to stop considering themselves as unemployed and waiting endlessly for white collar jobs that may never come, stressing: “Through farming, you will feed yourself, family andNigeria.”
Pa Oladejo explained that farming requires passion and good sense of planning as a profession and encouraged the youths to come into it as most of the present farmers are growing old and becoming weak to actively continue.
According to him, the notion that agriculture does not sustain your livelihood is untrue. “Do you know the impact on food production if 10,000 Nigerian graduates engage in agriculture?”
Oladejo, recalled that he first came to the Osun Farm Settlement in 1963, and said since then farming has become a way of life for him, and he now manages 50 acres of farmland, where he cultivates different food crops.
The farmer of over 50 years experience identified access to fertilizer and tractors as a major challenge facing the farmers in increasing their yield.
He praised the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo whose leadership as the Governor of the Old Western Region led to the creation of Farm Settlements across the region.
He also charged those in leadership position to initiate projects that would impact on the lives of their electorates. He called for issue-based and people-focused leadership which he said would position the country on the right direction.
