By Lanre Omotosho
Farming is the only job that civil servants are allowed to do as an additional source of income while in service.
It was this submission that made members of the 2025 course 3 of the Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Management to pay a visit to Agbeyewa farms in Ekiti.
Correspondent Lanre Omotosho who was on the entourage files in this report.
Speaking on the essence of their visit, Deputy Commandant, Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Management, Brigadier General Jerry Manjang said the visit to Agbeyewa Farms in Ipao Ekiti enabled them to know the opportunity embedded in cassava farming.
Brigadier General Manjang noted that future of the country lies in exploration of farming which would make some of them take into the profession after retirement from government jobs.
He urged those youths loitering around to engage in farming as the country is blessed with fertile land and good weather.
Contributing, the DPO of Ipao-Ekiti, Mr. Mayowa Afe said the presence of Agbeyewa Farms had turned the once a time security threat location to a haven of economic prospects.
Mr. Afe emphasized that with cooperation of other sister security agencies and local hunters, they were able to overcome the security threat in Ikole local government area..
On his part, the Managing Director of Agbeyewa Farms, Mr. Seyi Aiyeleso stressed that the farm is creating jobs and food through cassava revolution.
Mr. Ayeleso noted that the farm had benefitted its neighbouring nine communities with employment of over two thousand people.
He stressed that Agbeyewa farms is targeting one hundred thousand hectares of cassava production across the country for the next ten years in order to optimize all the cassava bye-products such as ethanol, starch, garri and flour among others.
The Managing Director emphasized that the farm had began the cassava revolution with cultivation of nearly 5,000 hectares, acquisition of 8 bulldozers and 40 tractors.
Highlight of the visit included tour of the Agbeyewa farms by the members of the 2025 course 3 of Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Management where they were made to understand that with good agricultural agronomy, farmers could harvest over 30 tons of cassava unlike the 6 tons they usually realized.
The visitors were told that with 8 varieties of improved cassava such as ayaya, TME 4-19, white lion and dixon being cultivated on the farm, they would be able to become richer within 9 to 18 months.
