EMPOWERING URHOBO

COMMUNITIES THROUGH
AGRICULTURE

PRESENTED BY: Engr. (Dr.) Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua

 About Urhobo History

Unlike the Bini’s, the Yoruba’s and some other tribes, the Urhobo’s are one of those few
tribes without a documented history. This is because there is little or no documented
European record of the Uhrobo’s. Our history has mostly been handed down to us by
word of mouth.

Oral tradition tells us that the history of the Urhobo people began from Edo territory and
that our migration to the various locations we now call home started at the end of the
Ogiso dynasty. The Ogisos’ were kings of Igodomigodo which is the original name of the
Edo Empire as given by Igodo who was the first Ogiso King.

The Ogiso era was replaced by the Oba era and the name of the Kingdom was changed
from Igodomigodo to Edo by Oba Eweka. This then became the Benin Empire than ran
from 40BC to 1100CE.
 Our Settlements

Today, Urhobo traditional homes are mainly

located in Delta and Bayelsa States. The local
governments where we have our traditional
homes in Delta State include the following
locations that principally constitute the Central
Senatorial District of Delta State, Nigeria.
 Our Settlements - Demographics
LGA Population Area/Density
Gender/Age Groups
Ethiope 276,700 Gender Area: 379 km² – Density:
East 730.9/km
Males 102,750
Females 99,962

Age Groups
0-14 years 78,204
15-64 years 116,967
65+ years 7,541
Ethiope 279,200 Gender Area: 536 km² – Density:
West 520.7/km²
Males 102,750
Females 99,962

Age Groups
0-14 years 78,204
15-64 years 116,967
65+ years 7,541
 Our Settlements - Demographics
Okpe 176,800 Gender Area: 434 km² – Density:
407.4/km²
Males 65,270
Females 63,128

Age Groups Persons

0-14 years 49,015
15-64 years 74,453
65+ years 4,930

Sapele 240,000 Gender Area: 580 km² – Density:

413.6/km²
Males 86,167
Females 88,106

Age Groups
0-14 years 67,446
15-64 years 99,798
65+ years 7,029
Our Settlements - Demographics
 Our Settlements - Demographics
Ughelli 292,800 Area: 745 km² – Density:
South Gender 392.9/km²
Males 107,730
Females 104,908

Age Groups
0-14 years 83,717
15-64 years 120,222
65+ years 8,699
Uvwie 259,900 Gender Area: 92.4 km² – Density:
2,812/km²
Males 93,999
Females 94,729

Age Groups
0-14 years 68,848
15-64 years 114,951
65+ years 4,929
 Our Settlements - Demographics
Warri 429,600 Gender Area: 542 km² – Density:
South 792.3/km²
Males 158,402
Females 153,568

Age Groups
0-14 years 112,000
15-64 years 189,779
65+ years 10,191

Patani 92,800 Gender Area: 230 km² – Density:

403.9/km²
Males 34,307
Females 33,084
Age Groups
0-14 years 26,135
15-64 years 38,720
65+ years 2,536
 Our Settlements - Demographics
Total Males 983,738
Total Females 968,251
Total Population 1,951,989

AGE GROUP
0 to 4yr 12.8% 248,879
5 to 9yr 12.8% 249,074
10 to 14yr 11.9% 232,482
15 to 19yr 11.5% 223,698
20 to 24yr 10.2% 198,712
25 to 29yr 8.7% 169,628
30 to 34yr 6.6% 129,612
35 to 39yr 5.6% 108,335
40 to 44yr 4.8% 94,086
45 to 49y r 3.9% 76,713
50 to 54yr 3.4% 65,587
55 to 59yr 2.0% 38,259
60 to 64yr 1.9% 37,283
65 to 69yr 1.1% 21,472
70 to 74yr 1.1% 21,277
75 to 79yr 0.6% 12,102
80 to 84yr 0.6% 11,907
85yr+ 0.7% 12,883
TOTAL 1,951,989

NOTE: Projected population figures are based on the 2006 Census .

In Bayelsa State the Uhrobo’s have traditional homes in Sagbama; in Edo State the Uhrobo’s also have large
settlements in Ikpoba Okha and Ohosu. Other Uhrobo settlements are in Ore, Owo and Okitipupa in Ondo
State; Ajegunle and other places in Lagos State; Oro in Kwara State, as well as other clusters across Nigeria.
Uhrobo Land and Its Local Government Areas
 Our Arable Land

 Arable land, in Delta State is about 1,558,000 hectares; if we use

Albert Aweto, Ph.D. estimate of January 2002 (http://www.waado.org),
that the Uhrobo total land area is about 5,000km2, vis-à-vis the total
land area of Delta State of 17,698km2, we can estimate the total
arable land that the Uhrobo’s own to be about 439,355 hectares. 

 It is pertinent to note that with a population of active persons between

the ages of 15 years and 65 years of 1,139,212 and arable land of
439,355 hectares the Uhrobo’s really should have no business with
poverty.
 Present State of Affairs in Uhrobo Nation

The Uhrobo nation is a great one that has

produced sons and daughters who have not
only excelled in their chosen endeavours
here at home and in the diaspora, but also
some of us have re-written history in many
spheres of human existence.
 .
Historical perspective

Historically, the Urhobo’s

engaged mostly in
agriculture related
activities for their
livelihood. Yams and
cassava, as well as maize,
beans, peppers, and
groundnuts, are the
Urhobo’s major staple
crops.
 .
Historical perspective

Under the influence,

first of European
traders and then of the
British colonial
administration, the
Urhobo and other
peoples began to grow
oil palms and rubber as
cash crops.
 Historical perspective
 The majority of us as at that time were mostly subsistence farmers but, even with subsistence farming, back
then there was little or no poverty in Urhobo land. The reason for the near non-existence of poverty in Uhrobo
land was simply because of the fact that most families farmed to feed themselves and to produce a little extra to
trade with.

 However, over the years, especially after the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities in Oloibiri,
neighbouring Bayelsa State, in the late fifties and early sixties, more and more people moved away from farming
in the villages to the urban areas in search of white-collar jobs. This gave rise to a pattern of low agricultural
productivity that has continued for many years.

 Our communities are not as economically viable as they should be, the majority of our children are
unemployed and generally misguided because our youths are known mostly for restiveness and not for
progressive activities.

 
 Reasons For The Present Low Agricultural Productivity
in Urhobo Land
The oil boom of the sixties and seventies occasioned a wave of mass movement from towns and villages to
the cities. The result of all these was that the oil palm plantations, the rubber plantations and a sizable
percentage of our farms gradually disappeared over the years.
We are not as prosperous as we ought to be because we abandoned agriculture. Our journey to the state of
economic disempowerment, that we find ourselves today, which resulted from our abandoning our natural source
of livelihood, began just after the Nigerian civil war with the introduction of the Udoji award.
Teachers in primary schools who were earning ₦540 per annum had their salary increased to as much as ₦1,080
per annum. ‘’Though Chief Udoji did not recommend the payment of arrears, the Gowon administration decided
to pay one-year arrears of salary to workers and suddenly our country was overflowing with petro-naira’’. - Dare
Babarinsa, Guardian Newspapers, 19 April 2018.
With the introduction of the Udoji awards, our people abandoned their farms in droves; white collar jobs
became much more attractive and to be called a farmer became something that most of us were ashamed
of.
 
 Reasons for The Present Low Agricultural Productivity
in Urhobo Land
A foundational problem that we have is the tendency of the majority of Uhrobo elites to stay in their comfort
zone. This should not be the case.
 
Success comes from the ability to venture; especially into new and uncharted territories. ‘’No venture, no success’’
is an old adage that best describes what I am trying to say here.
 
Most Uhrobo elites, especially the working class, prefer to remain in their comfort zones – go to work, return and
chill -. They do not venture hence they do not break new grounds. This is one reason why we do not have the likes of
the Dangote’s, the Jim Ovia’s, the Elumelu’s, etc. in Uhrobo land.
 
Most of us who have had the opportunity to go to school, study, graduate and get a job are afraid to leave our
comfort zone until we retire into obscurity because the job, in most cases, take up all our time and we, therefore, do
not have time for our personal ‘’work’’ which is a function of our natural gifts or talents.
 
 
 Reasons for The Present Low Agricultural Productivity
in Urhobo Land
Your work and your job are two completely different terms. But they are erroneously interpreted to
mean the same thing. Your job is what you are paid to do based on your skill set, it is usually done
between 8am to 5pm, or at other times if it involves shifts. After some years of service, you will eventually
retire from your job but you can never retire from your work because it is a lifelong activity that requires
a lifelong commitment.
Your work, on the other hand, is your assignment in life, your purpose, which comes to pass based on
the successful deployment of your God-given gift, as I said earlier. It is what you do after 5pm or when
you are no longer at your job.

Most Uhrobo elites are yet to make this distinction between job and work, hence the remain perpetually
in the comfort zone provided by their job. They consequently do not deploy their God-given gift and
hence fall short of fulfilling their purpose.
 
 What Should We Have Done Differently?
This is the thrust of this presentation. Let us draw a parallax from other climes that have progressed and developed. Let us
take the countries of Europe as an example.

 In the 18th and early 19th century, most countries in Western Europe, for example, Britain, Denmark, Netherlands,
Belgium, etc., underwent an agricultural revolution.  It began with the introduction of ‘large-scale growth of new
crops, such as potato and maize, by 1750 and continued up to 1880. This period witnessed technological
improvements in farming methods which led to unprecedented increases in crop productivity in most European
Countries. Crop yields multiplied by at least threefolds.

 The successes of the agricultural revolution triggered an increase in Europe's population. The population tripled in less
than three centuries and the average European lifespan increased by as much as two decades. The population of
England and Wales, for example, grew from 5.5 million in 1700 to over 9 million by 1801.

 Towns and cities grew and with them came new crafts and a revival of trade. New classes of merchants and craftsmen
attained some degree of social mobility. In other words, agriculture birthed the development and prosperity we see
in today’s Europe. The story in America is also not different. The table below depicts the increasing urbanisation in
Europe as a result of the agricultural revolution.

 
 Level of urbanisation for individual countries in
Europe (percentages).
1800a 1830 1850 1880 1900 1910

EUROPE 10.9 12.6 16.4 23.5 30.4 32.8

Austria-Hungary 6.5 7.1 9.7 16.0 25.6 28.5
Belgium 20.5 (25.0) 33.5 43.1 52.3 56.6
Bulgaria 5.5 (5.5) (6.0) (1 1.0) 15.0 22. I
Denmark 15.6 14.1 14.6 23.0 33.5 35.9
Finland 3.5 3.5 3.7 6.1 10.4 12.6
France 12.2 15.7 19.5 27.6 35.4 38.5
Germany 8.9 (9.1) (15.0) 29.1 42.0 48.8
Greece 11.5 (12.0) (14.0) (16.0) (21.0) 22.0
Italy 18.0 (19.0) (23.0) (28.0) (35.5) (40.0)
Netherlands 37.4 35.8 35.6 44.5 47_8 50.5
Norway 7.0 7.2 9.0 16.0 24.3 25.1
Portugal 15.5 (15.0) (15.0) (15.0) 15.7 15.6
Romania 7.5 (7.5) (1 1.0) (14.0) 17.3 16.0
Russia 5.9 (6.0) (7.2) 10.6 13.2 14.3
Serbia 10.0 (10.0) (10.0) (10.0) 9.8 10.0
Spain 17.5 (17.5) (18.0) (26.0) (34.0) (38.0)
Sweden 6.6 6.6 6.8 12.5 19.3 22.6
Switzerland 7.0 7.5 11.9 20.4 30.6 37.1
United Kingdom 19.2 27.5 39.6 56.2 67.4 69.2
OTHER DEVELOPED 5.5 7.9 13.9 35.6 41.6
COUNTRIES 1
Canada 6.5 (7.0) 9.5 15.0 35.9 41.6
United States 5.3 7.8 5.3 25.0 35.9 41.6
TOTAL 10.7 12.3 16.2 23.6 31.3 34.4
Level of urbanisationfor individual countries (percentage of total population living in cities of 5,000 or more inhabitants)
SOURCE: Factors of Urbanisation in the Nineteen th Century Developed Countries: A Descriptive and Econometric Analysis - Paul
Bairoch and Gary Goertz – 1985
 What Should We Have Done Differently?
 The agricultural revolution birthed a Renaissance that
would reawaken Europe, setting off a tide of
technological progress that would lead to the industrial
revolution. The industrial revolution eventually dragged
Europe from the ‘Dark Ages’ and launched it into the
powerful continent that we know it to be today.

 The continent of Europe will not be the developed

powerhouse that it is today without the surpluses that was
created by its agricultural revolution. So, first there was an
agricultural revolution that led to the creation of
individual and national wealth; then, there was the
industrial revolution which ultimately drafted most
countries in Europe into the committee of developed nations
that we know them to be today; with some of them, like
Germany, Britain and France becoming superpowers. These
nations will not be the superpowers that they are today if
Horse driven harrow during the European Agricultural Revolution
they did not attain all the benefits that they gained from
their agricultural revolution.
 What Should We Have Done Differently?
 The flip side of the industrial revolution in Europe is
a situation where more and more raw materials
that can only be sourced from agriculture was
needed. The solution was to conquer territories;
this is what led to colonialism and Nigeria was not
spared.

 Nigeria and the Niger Delta, including Uhrobo land,

would not have become a colony of the United
Kingdom if It did not have something valuable to
offer; what we had to offer was our agricultural
produce because as at that time Crude Oil was
yet to be discovered in commercial quantities in
Nigeria. This should give us some inkling into the Steam tractor driving a threshing mill, c.1910
great value and significance of agriculture .
 
 Summary of Problems and My Personal Experience

 I have spent the last couple of minutes talking about Europe. I have talked about their
agricultural revolution that served as the catalyst for their industrial revolution. In our case,
we never even got to the point of having an agricultural revolution; our progress in
that sphere was cut short at the subsistence farming level.
 Let me summarize the problem as I have indicated them in the course of this presentation;
1. The Udoji awards and the oil boom led to our seeing farming as a less rewarding
occupation to pursue; the majority of us then abandoned our farms for white collar jobs
and other occupations.
2. The Urhobo’s practised mostly subsistence farming on small plots of land.
3. The situation has not changed, even with the widespread poverty in the land, because our
people still do not know the value of agriculture; we are mostly misguided.
 Summary of Problems and My Personal Experience

 Yes, a few of us cultivated large tracts of land but the vast majority of us were mostly
subsistence farmers. We stopped there. The natural progression would have been for us to
sharpen our agricultural skills and expertise, this would have led to a situation where we will
then begin to see farming as a business and not just as a means to simply get food to eat.

 We lost our way by choosing academic and social productivity at the loss of our
agricultural and natural productivity. The right way would have been a healthy
combination of all of our academic, social, agricultural and natural productivity. We did not
do this because of two reasons: (1) Ignorance, and (2) Not thinking entrepreneurial.

 So, going forward, Uhrobo indigenes, especially the elites must overcome ignorance through
deliberate self-developmental efforts. This conference is a good example of the self-
developmental effort that I am referring to here. We must also change our thought process.
 Summary of Problems and My Personal Experience

 I am reminded of the following quotes;

 The first one is what Jack Ma, the Chinese Business Mogul of the Alibaba Fame who is
presently the richest man in China, according to Forbes, with a net worth of 48.2 Billion
USD, once said, and I quote ‘’if you put Bananas and money in front of monkeys, the
monkeys will choose Bananas because monkeys do not know that money can
buy a lot of Bananas’’. Talk about ignorance!
 Let me read a second quote that I came a across some years ago when I read the book
‘’Rich Dad, Poor Dad’’ which was authored by Robert Kiyosaki, who not only co-
authored ‘’Midas Touch’’ with Donald J. Trump, current President of the United States
of America, but also a business partner of the President. The second quote is ‘’One of
the reasons the poor are poor, is because they are not trained to recognize
entrepreneurship opportunities’’ How true!
 Summary of Problems and My Personal Experience
Kindly permit me to speak about my personal experience and observations as I try to propound
solutions towards Empowering Urhobo Communities through Agriculture.
Over the years since I graduated from University of Ibadan in 1991, I have moved from one job to the
other in the private sector within Nigeria and in the diaspora. Finally, in 2002, I moved to the public
sector, NDDC to be precise, where I have spent the last 18 years of my life contributing my quota to
the growth and development of the Niger Delta region and Nigeria at large. While doing these jobs, I
managed to squeeze out time for my ‘work’. Recall that I said earlier in this presentation that your
‘work’ is what you do after 5pm. Exploring my God given gifts over these years led to the establishment
of the following companies – Emmppek Engineering Limited, Emmppek Gas Limited and Emmppek
Farms Limited. I will however limit this part of my presentation to my experiences with Emmppek Farms
Limited, for obvious reasons. 
Emmppek Farms Limited began as a simple idea that was fostered, in 2013, by my confidant, mentor
and brother, Chief Blessing O. Ohwavborua, who, in my view, having studied Agricultural Science
(Agronomy) at the University of Nigeria (1980 – 1985), was more suited and better equipped to run
with the idea. Death reared its ugly head in November 30, 2013 and took my loving brother along.
 Summary of Problems and My Personal Experience

We all know what they say about an idea whose time has come, even death
cannot stop it. I had no other choice but to run with this vision which came from
God Himself.
 
Emmppek Farms was incorporated in October 2014, and the vision was formally
actualised in 2016 with the commissioning of the Emmppek Poultry and Fishery
Farms with 2,000 Layers and 5,000 Fingerlings respectively.

We have since grown from that little beginning to become a leading food
production and processing company in Nigeria with investments in Poultry,
Fish, Snails, Pig, Livestock Feed Production, Vegetable Farm, Oil Palm
Plantation and Maize Plantation.
 Summary of Problems and My Personal Experience
 Emmppek Farms began operations some six years ago, today, we
have over 100,000-layer birds at our farm in Abraka and an
additional 120,000 birds will come on stream when our expansion
programmes are completed. How did we achieve this?
 
 We began with 5,000 birds, then with prudent management we
were able to achieve profitability in the first year. This then made
it possible for us to approach our Bank to ask for a loan.
 
 Our first loan was successfully repaid and then we asked for
another loan to further expand, this was also repaid, then we
asked yet again for another loan. The secret is simple, we have
remained consistent, diligent and transparent in all our
operations. So, as at the time we approached our Bankers to ask
for a loan we had already secured their trust and confidence; it
was not very difficult for us to obtain favourable approvals for
our loan request.
 Problems and Solutions
At this juncture, I will like to itemise the critical problems that I have mentioned in the course of my presentation, and, based on my personal
experiences as a farmer, propound possible solutions to the problems.
Problem Number One - The Udoji Awards and The Oil Boom Led to Our Seeing Farming as a Less Lucrative Occupation to Pursue.
Problem number two only became a problem because of how we reacted to something that ordinarily should have been a blessing.
Unfortunately, when we come into money, an investment is the last thing on the minds of most of our people. We would rather marry more
wives, buy new cars or build more houses. 
The trend of mostly thinking of acquiring luxury items instead of thinking of making an investment is also quite rampant amongst our youths.
Our young people will rather spend over a hundred thousand to buy a smart phone as opposed to making a smart investment. The
phones that some of them use can start a fish farm or a poultry farm.
If our focus was more on making an investment, especially in agriculture, then the Udoji awards and the oil boom would have been a
blessing instead of the seeming curse that it became. The natural result would have been that the majority of our people would have
grown from their subsistence farming to commercial farming.
 
The solution to problem number two is simple, we must begin even now to retrace our steps There is a saying that ‘’it is when a man wakes
up that it is morning’’. Brothers and sisters, let this be our morning. Let us not only go back to the natural occupation of our forefathers
but let us use all the gathered experiences and innovations of centuries to engage in those occupations and do it even better than
they did.

 
 Problems and Solutions
Problem Number Two - We Practised Mostly Subsistence Farming.
Before the Agricultural Revolution, all peoples practised subsistence farming, including the Urhobo’s; whereas some nations went further to
begin to see agriculture as a business and to develop their agricultural practices, others, like us, continued to mostly see agriculture as an
endeavour that is meant to just put food on the table. This may not be accurate for all of us but it is certainly accurate for the majority of us.
 
Here in the Niger Delta our main focus has been on Crude Oil. The highest ambition of the vast majority of our youths is to work in Shell,
Chevron, or any Oil Company for that matter.
 
The business of agriculture is much more than that of the business of crude oil. How do I mean? I will give you a simple example. A litre of PMS,
or petrol, is today sold for about ₦160, whereas a litre of palm oil is sold for about ₦500. Yet we have spent decades agitating over crude
oil.
 
Agriculture may not be as profitable as crude oil when it is practised at the subsistence level but, as it is said, the journey of a thousand miles
begins with just one step. If we work hard at it, a 5,000-bird poultry can become one with a 100,000 birds’ poultry.
 
The solution is for us to move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture. We can best do this by adopting modern farm
establishment and management techniques. By adopting mechanised farming, a farmer can cultivate much more land as opposed to if he/she
were to be using just hoes and cutlasses.

 
 Problems and Solutions
Problem Number Three - The situation has not changed, even with the widespread poverty in the
land, because our people still do not know the value of agriculture.
Shine your eye! I think that popular expression best describes what I wish to say here. Shine your eye. We
must shine our eyes, because gone are the days when the farmer was disrespected because of his or her
profession. I stand here as a true example of that fact because I am an Urhobo farmer who presently
employs over 150 persons, many of whom are graduates.
Yes, we must shine our eyes to realise that agriculture is a very serious and profitable business.
 
To demonstrate this fact, let us examine just one popular crop and then itemise the various businesses
that can come from that crop. I will talk about Cassava;

 
 Problems and Solutions
Problem Number Three – Continued.

 With mechanised farming and adequate fertilization and maintenance, one hectare of cassava can yield up to 20 tons
and a ton of Cassava is presently selling for as much as N40,000 to N50,000. Therefore, you can make up to one million Naira
from one hectare of Cassava if you have the proper training and you know what you are doing.
 
 Cassava can be processed into Garri and Garri can either be sold locally or exported. If you process your 20 tons of Cassava
that is harvested from one hectare you will naturally earn much more than one million Naira.
 
 It can be processed into cassava pellets. Cassava pellets are what you get from processing the peels of cassava tubers. These
peels are mostly thrown away but they can be processed into pellets for export.
 Cassava can also be processed into cassava chips. China alone imported over a billion dollars’ worth of cassava chips last year.
 
 Cassava can be processed into industrial starch that can be sold locally or exported.
 
 It can also be further processed to produce ethanol. All the whisky and Gin we drink is produced mainly from Ethanol.
 
 It can also be used to produce cassava flour that can be sold locally or exported.

When a farmer cultivates cassava, even if it is only one hectare of land, that farm will provide jobs and businesses for at least 10 persons.
 Problems and Solutions
 Crude oil is the highest revenue generating product
for Nigeria but it is the lowest contributor to GDP in
Nigeria, whereas, agriculture has been the highest
contributor to the national GDP for many years.
This tells us that the wealth that is generated from
agriculture is more evenly spread.
 So, the question remains; how can Uhrobo’s be empowered
through agriculture? To answer this question, I will begin by
saying that ‘’it is possible to take a camel to the riverbank but it is
not possible to force the camel to drink the water’’.

 The most vital ingredient that is required for any intervention or

empowerment programme to succeed is the willingness of the
proposed beneficiaries of the programmes to take necessary
steps to benefit from the programme.

Source – National Bureau of Statistics

 Available Opportunities in the Agricultural Sector
There are several programmes that our people can benefit from; let me take some time to talk about just two of these intervention
programmes.

Anchor Borrowers Programme

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) established the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP). It was launched by President Buhari in
2015.

 It is intended to create a linkage between anchor companies involved in processing and small holder farmers (SHFs)
of the required key agricultural commodities.
 The programme provides farm inputs in kind and cash (for farm labour) to small holder farmers to boost production
of these commodities.
 At harvest, the farmer supplies his/her produce to the Agro-processor (Anchor) who pays the cash equivalent to the
farmer's account.
 "Since commencement of the Anchor Borrowers Programme in November 2015, the CBN in partnership with State
Governments and several private sector groups, have disbursed a cumulative sum of over N100 billion to over 250,000
farmers who cultivated over 300,000 hectares of farmland for rice, wheat, maize, cotton, soybeans, cassava, etc.
 The vast majority of farmers that benefited from the programme were farmers outside the Niger Delta. This is
because our people were not adequately positioned or prepared to access the opportunity.
 Available Opportunities in the Agricultural Sector
Youth Farm Lab
 The Youth Farm Lab is an Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in
conjunction with Synergos, to train Nigerian youths on livestock production and
sustainable urban agriculture.

 It is for Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 35 years who are passionate about
Agriculture and believe in its profitability potentials.

 There are quite a number of other Government intervention programmes but the
fact remains that our people must be equipped to access the opportunities
that are available.
 Conclusions
 The foundation for equipping our people to access available opportunities is education and
information.

 Without the ability to read and write it will be near impossible to effectively access available opportunities
and to effectively move from subsistence farming to commercial farming.
 
 When we have acquired the ability to read and write, we must not stop there because the ability to read
can help us to gather information and knowledge. Knowledge and information cannot be had if we do
not take the time to read. We must continue to broaden our knowledge by reading up materials that will
give us information about developments in the agricultural sector.
 
 Our traditional rulers and elders must be at the forefront of bringing about the necessary mindset
change.
 Conclusions
 The foundation for equipping our people to access available opportunities is education and
information.

 Without the ability to read and write it will be near impossible to effectively access available opportunities
and to effectively move from subsistence farming to commercial farming.
 
 When we have acquired the ability to read and write, we must not stop there because the ability to read
can help us to gather information and knowledge. Knowledge and information cannot be had if we do
not take the time to read. We must continue to broaden our knowledge by reading up materials that will
give us information about developments in the agricultural sector.
 
 Our traditional rulers and elders must be at the forefront of bringing about the necessary mindset
change.
 Conclusions
 Before I conclude, I will like to talk about two stories that
particularly moved me; I think they are somewhat relative to our
situation.

 The first story is about the picture that is depicted on the right.

 The picture was taken by Kevin Carter in 1993 during a period

of terrible famine in Sudan. Kevin Carter was a South African
photojournalist who won a Pulitzer award for the above
picture. But the award did not stop the outrage against him from
across the world. He was criticised for standing aside to take a
picture and seeking fame while not doing anything about the
situation of the child. Kevin Carter committed suicide, from
depression, barely 3 months after winning the Pulitzer price.

 The story is not different from what is happening in our society

today because those of us in a position to take action, to
empower Uhrobo communities through agriculture, mostly
stand aside and do nothing. The best they offer are speeches;
talk without action.
 Conclusions
 For change to happen, in Uhrobo communities and for our people to be
empowered through agriculture, those of us with the means to do so, must lead
by example. I have already talked about my story with Emmppek Farms but I did
not mention that I have mentored and encouraged my employees, and persons
within my sphere of influence, to begin their own farms. Some of them are already
doing quite well.
 
 Uhrobo elites, both those here in Nigeria and in the diaspora, must take action to
empower our people and communities through agriculture. We must initiate
and bring agricultural investments to our land and to our communities.
 Conclusions
 The second story that I will like to talk about is a story titled ‘’the idiot and his mother’’ It is a
true story that goes like this;
One day a mentally troubled child came home and gave a letter to his mother.
He told her,
“My teacher gave this letter to me and told me to only give it to my mother.”
Reading through the letter, the mother could not believe her eyes.
Gradually her eyes filled with tears.
“Mum is there a problem?
Did I do something wrong in school”
The boy asked.
 Conclusions
With a shaky voice, the mother slowly began to read the contents of the letter to her son.
“Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers to
train him. Please teach him yourself.”
The boy was dumbfounded.
The next morning, Nancy Edison pulled her son out of the school and from that day, began to
teach him diligently at home.
Many years later, Thomas Edison had grown into the most prolific inventor of his time.
He had invented the electric light bulb, the first electric generator, the first record player (called
the phonograph then), submarine radar, a cinema, and about one thousand other inventions that
helped to usher-in the modern age.
 
 Conclusions
He was celebrated world-wide as the father of invention.
Meanwhile his mother had passed away quietly.
One day he was going through her closet and found the letter which was given to him by his teacher for his
mother.
He remembered it was the same letter that made his mother pull him out of school and undertake many years
of home schooling.
So, he opened it.
The message written on the letter was,
“Your son is mentally ill. We cannot let him attend our school anymore. He is expelled.”
Thomas Edison then realized what his mother did, which probably saved his life and future.
For several hours he sat motionless with tears streaming down his face.
Finally, he gathered enough strength and wrote in his diary,
“Thomas Alva Edison was a mentally ill child whose mother turned him into the genius of the century.”
 
 Conclusions
 The majority of our youths today are mostly misguided but it will be a grave error to give up on them. I
say this because if our children are misguided then it is first and foremost our fault. Like the story of
Thomas Edison, we must not give up on our children because each and everyone of them is a potential
Thomas Edison. To give up on our youths because they are sometimes wayward and misguided is the
same as to give up on our future as a people, because these children will be the ones to lead us when we
are old and unable to fend for ourselves.

 There can be no finding without there first being a seeking; it is not for nothing that Jesus Christ, the Son
of God said ‘seek and you shall find’. We must seek out opportunities, we must take action to bring about
an agricultural revolution in Uhrobo land. We must inform and educate each other about opportunities.
We must help and support each other when and how we can. Each one help one to start a farm or grow
an existing farm. That is how our communities and our people can become empowered through
agriculture.

Engr. (Dr.) Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua