₦airaland Forum

Infrastructure of the Mind

Olam, a major commodity trading company in Kwara State, has been operating in Asa for years, buying up significant farm produce. Recently, the company established a new factory in Afon, signaling its growing presence and potential for community impact.

Given Asa’s vast farmland and the ready market provided by Olam, one would expect significant interest from youths in farming or efforts by the community to engage Olam in sustainable partnerships. Surprisingly, this is not the case. All they want is hand out, rent seeking etc.

Some months ago, a youth leader in the community mentioned plans to approach Olam to demand Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support. In my usual “oversabi” manner, I advised against asking for money. Instead, I suggested they request sustainable support like tractors, farming inputs, and fertilizers that could benefit the entire community in the long run.

I explained that if Olam provided such resources, it could enable everyone to farm, and with adequate monitoring, they could all benefit while Olam continues as an offtaker. However, the youth leader dismissed the idea outright, saying no one was interested in farming, they just wanted money.

I posed a simple question: If Olam gives you money this year, will they do the same next year? How much will each person get, and for how long will it last? I emphasized that tools like tractors and inputs could empower them to create lasting value, but the idea of sustainable growth was unappealing—they wanted quick cash.

Instead of focusing on farming, many of them resort to digging up surface sand to sell, destroying roads in the process, with a sense of entitlement. Some even take this irresponsibility further by stealing from farms.

Recently, a boy was caught stealing cassava from a farm owned by an elderly woman. Cases like this abound at the Afon police station. It’s baffling that able-bodied young men refuse to farm yet feel comfortable stealing from the hard work of others.

This situation reflects a deeper issue and our government and society must understand that the most critical infrastructure to build is the mindset of the people.

Without addressing this fundamental problem, development efforts will continue to yield limited results.

The mentality of our youths is the problem