Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), a prominent lawyer and the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, has urged Nigerians and all tiers of government to follow former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s example and return to agriculture as a way to end unemployment, hunger, and poverty. Babalola cited Obasanjo’s Operation Feed the Nation program, which was implemented during his time as military Head of State from February 13, 1976, to October 1, 1979, as an example that modern-day Nigeria could follow.
He claimed that the project showed how agricultural growth and food security may have a revolutionWhile welcoming Mr. Kayode Fasae, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, and his seven-member delegation on their tour of ABUAD on Saturday in Ado Ekiti, Babalola stated, “The country should take a cue from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who introduced Operation Feed the Nation during his first coming as a military Head of State.”ary effect.
Given the wealth of natural resources, lush vegetation, and ideal weather, he emphasized that Nigeria had no justification for the country’s pervasive poverty. These elements, if used for agricultural purposes, may improve the country’s lot in life. The foundation of Nigeria’s economy prior to the discovery of oil in Oloibiri was agriculture. In the West, the cash crops were cocoa; in the Midwest, rubber; in the East, wood and palm oil; and in the North, groundnut and cotton, he recalled.
Babalola lamented the neglect of agriculture since the oil boom of the 1960s, describing it as a costly mistake. He urged a return to grassroots practices such as the provision of farm equipment at local council areas to support farmers.
Highlighting his personal experience, he said, “When I was growing up, everyone had a backyard garden. It wasn’t just about feeding your family; people gave food to others freely. That spirit of abundance and community can return if we go back to the land.”
The ABUAD founder, whose institution boasts enterprise farms, an industrial park, a power plant and a modern teaching hospital, said agriculture’s benefits extend far beyond food—it promotes employment, self-sufficiency, national security, and reduces crime.
The visiting delegation praised ABUAD’s model, particularly its integration of agriculture, industry and education in a self-sustaining ecosystem.
Babalola concluded that like Obasanjo once showed the way, Nigeria must now follow that path again—back to agriculture, back to prosperity.
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