THE GUARDIAN, Saturday Pcrober29,E20ll
NEWSINTERVIEW
FORM 27 Subpoena ad Testificandum (Order 32, Rule 21) In the High Court of Lagos State In the LAGOS Judicial Division Suit No. LD/460/2005
Voice Of The Voiceless Farmers Against the backdrop of a recent report that Nigeria imported NI.3 trillion worth of food last year, EEERE AMEH spoke with CHIEF KAMLJRUDEEN OKIKIOU AREMU, the President General of the Agbekoya Farmer's Association, a renowned Farmers Association with over 25,000 members on how his association plans to do to save Nigeria from hunger. Excerpts. Govt is spending over N13 trillion yeaiiy on food importation ana/'igbekoya has been in existence all these while. How come we have all these importations? Blchejenrs, cur farmers have been involved n subsistence farming and for so long we _iave never had any assistance in whatever form from either [he federal or the state government. Instead, portfolio fanners, political farmers benefit from government budgetary allocation to agriculture. The Federal Miiiisny of Agriculture was no: even making things better because they have not been working direct lywi th farmers. Nigeria is very good in the formulation of policies but the problem has always been with the execution We have had Operation feed die Nation, Green Revolution ard during Murtala's regime we also had what was railed Murtala meat, riceamong others. On pa per, ail these policies were good but the missing gap was working directly with the farmers. Over the years, Agbekoya fanners have been working on their own wilh little or no capital with most On that day, we unveiled about six billion agric ofthe produce for consumption. What has the association been doing all die while? business projects for the southwest and the three other states, which we presented to the it was a pressure grcup, a union. It was Nigerian Union of Farmers ard Hunters and they catered for representative of the Agriculture Minister. Since the interest oi theimembers. It was a cooperative then we have presented our proposal to each of kind of farming system, which originated from the the governments of these states. The stage we are now is the committee stage Yoruba traditional farming system. We all will come anil work on your farm today, > ou where each state government has set upa committee to look into our proposal and come out will feed us and then another day; we go to another with what they can do to assist us. person's farm. It has been a cooperative kind of thing but dial effort and cooperation is not enough What are some ofthe details contained in the especially with die groxving rate of population in proposal? We are asking for 5,000 hectares of land from Nigeria, Government's lack of assistance to farmers over each state government, totalling 45,000 the years, in terms of funding, agricultural input, hectares to cultivate cassava, maize, sorghum, rice, and pepper among other diings. We also marketing link for farmers and development of interest of the youths in farmingare what brought want to set up model farms in the geographical zones within the states and create farmers' rnarus to the level we .ire now. Government has net really encouraged theyouths ket where fanners can come at appointed days to farm. It is the duty of the government to feed the to sell their produce. What is happeningnow is that there isa misspeople and deliberate efforts should be made to make farming attractive to the youths who are the ing link between the fanners and the market. The federal government scrapped the markethopeofthefuture. What are the plans ofthe association with respect ing boards and no effort has been made to replace it or to set.upanotherbody to assist to sufficient food suppiy for the people? Agbekoya has been rebrandedl There is Agbekoya farmers in marketing their produce. It was the scrapping of die board that caused Society which is the main Agbekoya while the Agbekoya Fanners Association is die business body, the Agbekoya revolution fn 1967-1968, when an offshoot of Agbekoya Society. We have succeed- Agbekoya came into public glare..Government ed *n rebrand ingAgbekoya from a pressure group reduced the price of cocoa and also asked women to pay taxes. to 3 productive corporate entity that will go into So Agbekoya Farmers's Association came out to mechanised farming, plant, harvest, market the produce, train farmers, go into research in partner- resist the oppressive policy under the military administration of the time. The fight lasted for ship with an interrationalagencyandworkin partnership wilh ito; agency and other agro-allied overO months between Agbekoya farmers, soldiers and the women. industries. What really tickled Agbekoya fanners association As the Minister of Agriculture nghdy said in his was when the northerners refused to bring pepper speech, Vhat our competitors have over Nigeria is that they make deliberate effort to link farmto Lagos for three days and you and I know what ers to the marker,'We have situations where prohappened dien. Our housewives did not find it funny. duce is harvested and they rot on daily basis. This should not be the case. That made us to call an emergency meeting where we told ourselves lhat it has gotten to a stage Agbekoya has decided to set up two silos in whenAghekoyamustacL Indoingthis.wetook Lagos state, and one in Akure. We are rnakinga time to re-registration the body and ourmembers. demand for nine tractors for each state. Those ones who already have farms need We needed the data because when you want to present a proposal t3 either the government or an empowerment So we are asbng for loans and international organisation, you need data of your grants. The grants will be in theform of infrafarmers. structure such as good roads, farm implements, We asked our old members and those who are fixed capital, and rrainingfor farmers among interested in farm ing, graduates of agriculture and others. For the loans we are asking government to give all interested people to register and we sold the form through" Wemi Bank in the southwest states, us soft loans overa period of five-seven years because fanners don't have collateral. An averKogi, Edo and Kwar;. States. age farmer need some time to plant, harvest and We did this between May and August and it climake profit to pay back the loan. maxed with the staging of the first National Farmers Conference, which was organised by the There are cash crops that take three-four years to mature. We are asking for a single digit interAgbekoya Farmers/ssociationandpardy sponsored by Wema Ban. c est rate forfarmers.
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BETWEEN DR.OLADAPO AND 1. Patrick Aga^le 2. The Registrar of Titles 3. Honourable Attorney Genera! of Lagos State
CLAIMANT
DEFENDANTS
To Miss Olayomi Olawanle Olatunji of House 10, W Close, 21 Road, 2"a Avenue, Festac Town Lagos Slate. You are commanded in the name of the Governor of tagos Stale io attend before this Court No. 35, at Hon. Justice A. A. Oyebanji, on Tuesday 8"1 day of November, 2011 at 9 O'clock in Ihe forenoon and so from day to day till trie above cause is tried to give evidence on behalf of the MR. PATRICKAGAZIE (the rOefendanl herein)
Dated this 22" day of September, 2011 IN THE HIGH COURT OF LAGOS STATE IN THE LAGOS JUDICIAL DIVISION HOLDEN AT COURT NO. 33 BEFORE THE HON. JUSTICE A. A. OYEBANJI (MRS) TODAY WEDNESDAY THE 28™ DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2011 SUIT NO. LD/460/05 BETWEEN: DR.OLADAPO OLATUNJI AND 1. MR. PATRICKAGAZIE 2. THEREGlSTRAROFTiTLESLAGOSSTATE} 3. Honourable Attorney-General of Lagos State
CLAIMANT D EFEN DANT/APP LICANT DEFENDANTS
ENROLMENT QF ORDER MOTION EX-PARTE BROUGHT PURSUANTTO ORDER 39 RULE 1 AMD ORDER 7 RULES 5f1t AND (21 OFTHE HIGH COURT OF LAGQ5 STATE f CIVIL PROCEDURE) RULES 2004 AND UNDER THE INHERENT JURISDICTION OF THE HONOURABLECOURT UPON THIS MOTION EX-PARTE coming up today Wednesday the 281" day of September, 2011 before His Lordship Hon, Justice A. A. Oyebanji (Mrs.) seeking for the following Orders:
CE«riF!EO TRUE COPY
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. AN ORDER extending the time within which leave may be granted So (he T Defendant/Applicant herein to serve the Writ of Subpoena ad testificandum issued herein and dated 22* September, 2011 on Miss Oluyomi Olawanle Olatunji of House 10, W Close, 21 Road, 2"" Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos State through substituted means by publication in the Guardian Newspaper. AN ORDER granting leave to the 1" Defendant/ Applicant herein to serve the Writ of Subpoena ad teslificandum issued herein and dated 22" September, 2011 on Miss Oluyomi Olawanle Olatunji of House 10, W Close, 21 Road, 2rH! Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos State through substituted means by publication in the Guardian Newspaper. AN ORDER deeming such service as good and proper service AND for such further Order or Orders as ihe Honourable Court may deem fit to make in (he circumstances." AND UPON READING (he 10 paragraph Affidavit in support deposed to by Oluwafemi Odenryi, Male, Nigerian Citizen, Litigation Officer of 21, Ribadu Road, South West Ikoyi, Lagos sworn to and filed at the High Court Registry, Lagos on the 23" of September, 2011. f ! AND AFTER HEARING Biodun Ontkosi Esq. of Counsel for the 1" Defendant/Applicant move in terms ofthe Motion paper.
mfHEREBYORDEREDas.ono,,, «« TRUE COPY 1. That leave be and hereby granted the ^ Defendant/Appiicant to serve the Subpoena ad testificandum issued herein and dated 22'" September, 2011 on Miss Oluyomi Olawanle Olatunji of House 10, W Close, 21 Road, 2"° Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos out of time. 2. That leave be and is hereby granted the 1" Defendant/Applicant to cause the Subpoena ad teslificandum dated 22nd September, 2011 issued herein to be served on Miss Oluyomi Olawanle Olatunji of House 1 0, W Close, 21 Road, 2°" Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos by a publication of the said Subpoena ad testificandum in the Guardian Newspapers, which shall be deemed to be good and pro per service. Proof of publication shall be attached to the Affidavit of Service. Return date shall be the 8"1 day of November, 201 1 DATED AT LAGOS THIS 28™ DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2011 i'MM-IUtSEITllM