When religion took back seat at Alagbinla festival

Ago-Owu in Isokan Local Government Council, Osun State, is fast becoming a Mecca of sorts with the annual Alagbinla festival, a carnival created to encourage, motivate, celebrate and lift the spirit of farmers.

The 2018 edition of the Alagbinla festival was celebrated last week with pomp and pageantry as top personalities in the state and tourists from beyond merged with the stakeholders in the agribusiness to celebrate at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Research and Training Farm, Ago-Owu.

Religion knew no bounds at the festival as Muslim and Christian clerics happily mingled with traditional worshippers to celebrate a cherished tradition. The Chief Imam of Ago-Owu, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Alao and Pastor Gabriel Adewuyi Adeyeye offered prayers, while Chief Kolawole Ayodeji rendered the traditional version. It was an all-comers accommodation devoid of partisan romanticism to appreciate the worth of farmers in the state.

The pupils of Ago-Owu Community Secondary School and different local drummers electrified the festival with thrilling songs, drumbeats and dance, while a popular disc jockey in the state, Oluwaseun Salahudeen Tanimola, widely known as Bassman, deftly mixed old school notes with contemporary tunes to spread musical satisfaction across all ages.

The Alagbinla festival was organised by the Office of Economic Development and Partnerships (OEDP) and the Osun State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MSFS), in collaboration with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).

It was an elated AFAN Chairman in the state, Alhaji Sulaimon Araokanmi, who expressed farmers’ conviction that the incumbent administration in the state valued agriculture and was ready to assist farmers.

While sensitising the farmers on ways to run their farms to avoid losses and make huge profits, an agricultural expert, Professor Peter Akpopodion, highlighted the best practices in agri-business and charged the farmers to embrace them.

The festival presented an opportunity for farmers to express their grievances. A female farmer, Mrs Christiana Ogunsanya, lamented that women in agriculture were not getting a fair deal in terms of support from government. She called on government to create more chances and opportunities for female farmers.

Also another farmer, Mr Moruf Babalola, said farmers needed financial support to increase their efforts on their farms. Babalola appealed to the state government to facilitate telephone networks to farm settlements in Ago-Owu to enable farmers communicate effectively and link up with the modern world.

Babalola also urged the state government to address “the problem of Fulani herdsmen who are making life difficult for the farmers.” He said cows had destroyed many farms in the state and that farmers were no longer safe on their farms because of the fear of the Fulani herdsmen.

A manager of the Bank of Industry, Mr Isaac Faniyi Ojo, while speaking on providing financial support for the farmers, commended beneficiaries that had refunded loans they obtained, saying this would enable another set of farmers to have access to loans.

The Director-General of OEDP, Dr Charles ‘Diji Akinola, who was represented at the event by the Coordinating Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Olubukola Aluko, told the farmers that the Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s administration intended to establish nine new farm settlements, with one in each of the federal constituencies in the state, and to also establish agro-industrial parks and produce markets.

“The state government will consolidate on the agricultural land expansion programme with an additional target of 20,000 hectares for farm settlements to encourage and boost agriculture in the state. The new farm settlements will focus on integrated agricultural development of crops (maize, cassava, rice, tomatoes, vegetables, yam, plantain, cocoa, and oil palm), livestock, fisheries and comprehensive farm service centres where farmers will have access to farm inputs, extension services, information and market intelligence services, produce storage and other support services,”Aluko said.

Also, the Head, Administration & Commercial Services Department, Osun Agricultural Land Bank, Mr Wole Ajewole, explained the operations of the establishment and urged the farmers to key into it so as to enable the state government achieve its plans for them.

“Going forward, all genuine allottees and settlers are enjoined to pay their annual land rent at Omoluabi Bank and submit a copy of the e-receipt to the Land Bank for authentication of payment and up-date of record,” Ajewole advised.

Gov Oyetola, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Mr Benedict Gboyega Alabi, noted that Osun was an agrarian economy with farmers constituting over 70 per cent of the population, adding that he was interested in ensuring that the farmers continued to have access to agricultural inputs that would enhance their productivity.

Oyetola said farmers in the state had had access to agricultural loans, roads, fertiliser and agriculture support services, among others, through government farmer-friendly initiatives.