The Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has announced that over N100 million has been spent on cash prizes for farmers across the 16 Local Government Areas of Ekiti State.
The nonagenarian noted that since the Afe Babalola Agric Expo (ABAEX) scheme commenced in 2015, this amount has been allocated, including N11.2 million distributed to winners at this year’s edition.
He also revealed plans to establish an Ekiti Farmers’ House in Ado-Ekiti as part of efforts to promote modern agriculture, empower farmers, and attract youth and graduates to the farming sector.
Speaking at the grand finale of the 2026 edition of the Annual Afe Babalola Agricultural Expo (ABAEX) in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, he stated that the proposed Farmers’ House would serve as a secretariat and provide a platform for farmers to access modern agricultural equipment and other support services.
He explained that the scheme started in 2015 with a total prize purse of N5 million, with the overall Best Farmer in Ekiti State receiving N1 million and the best farmer in each of the 16 local government areas receiving N250,000.
According to him, the reward system has since increased, with the overall Best Farmer in the state now receiving N2 million, while the top three farmers in each local government receive N200,000, N100,000 and N50,000 respectively.
He said the initiative would be established in partnership with the Ekiti State Government and the 16 local government areas of the state, with the Farmers’ House expected to acquire modern agricultural equipment, including bulldozers, ridgers, ploughs and harvesters, which would be made available to farmers at affordable rates.
According to him, the arrangement would enable farmers to hire modern agricultural implements through their local governments and engage in large-scale, productive farming without having to rely on traditional hoes and cutlasses.
Babalola said: “My hope and wish are to establish Ekiti Farmers’ House to be domiciled in Ado-Ekiti. The proposed Ekiti Farmers’ House will have a secretariat which will be inviting members for meetings and allied matters.
“In addition, and in partnership with the State Government and the 16 Local Government Areas of the state, the Farmers’ House will acquire modern farm implements such as bulldozers, ridgers, ploughs and harvesters, among others, which the Ekiti Farmers’ House will be renting to farmers at low rates.”
Babalola said the ABAEX initiative, which began in 2015, was conceived out of his desire to restore dignity and pride to farming as a noble profession and encourage Nigerians to return to agriculture.
He expressed concern that many Nigerians had abandoned agriculture for white-collar jobs, menial employment or idleness, leading to increasing hunger and dependence on government palliatives.
The ABUAD founder, who said he was born and raised on a farm, explained that his early experience of farming with his father had shaped his enduring passion for agriculture.
Babalola said despite his later achievements in law, education, healthcare and philanthropy, he had retained large hectares of land for the cultivation of arable and cash crops.
He challenged secondary schools, polytechnics and universities to give greater attention to agricultural education and practical farming, while urging young people to shun fraudulent activities and embrace productive ventures.
According to him, Nigeria must deliberately return to agriculture if it is to regain its lost economic glory, noting that the country was once a leading global producer of palm oil and cocoa.
He said his personal experience had taught him that the amount of money available to an individual was less important than how wisely it was invested.
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He said he had started investing in education while earning only one pound per month and had consistently reinvested the returns from his efforts to achieve his present status.
Representing Governor Biodun Oyebanji at the ceremony, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, commended Babalola for his sustained support for farmers and agricultural development in Ekiti.
Boluwade said recent agricultural production data validated by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Office, an accredited agency under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, showed that production of major crops in the state had increased between 2022 and 2025.
He attributed the improvement to the resilience of farmers and various interventions by the state government and private sector partners.
The commissioner said the Oyebanji administration had, in the last four years, supported farmers through free land-clearing activities, which had benefited more than 5,000 farmers, tractorisation subsidy, access to fertilisers and agrochemicals, improved seeds and seedlings and market expansion initiatives.
He disclosed that the state had also secured approval from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to establish a Special Agro-Processing Zone in Ekiti, describing the project as a major intervention that would create jobs for youths and increase the income of farmers.
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