₦airaland Forum

My visit to obsanjo farms OTA was both full of excitement and surprises. With working for just five (5) days at the large farmland, it was a lifetime experience I won't forget in a long time. I met with great interesting workers, people from different places - asked questions and also get firsthand sight seeing on how modern and best farming practices are done. However, I have a lot Issues with the establishment, especially in terms of worker welfare and food production.


BRIEF HISTORY

Obsanjo farms OTA is undeniably one of the well known farms in Nigeria. It covers a large area of land; with buildings on it, used for growing crops and keeping animals. The farm also housed many farm workers/labourers, farm buildings and farm machinery. As the name implies, the large hectare of farmland is owned by the former head of state and former Ex-president of Nigeria - OLUSEGUN OBASANJO. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo likely is a very intelligent and smart man, who saw the huge potential in the agricultural non-oil sector of the Nigeria economy and utilized it. Of course Obasanjo farms OTA, the farmland has its own past history regarding Issues on land ownership, but I am sure by now, all would have been settled.

Established in 1979, fourty years down the line, Ex-president Olusegun Obsanjo is still active in the business.


BUSINESS

Just like the Songhai farm in Porto-Novo, Obasanjo farms OTA has a great Agro farm setting that applies modern and best farming practices. The farmland is also accessable for Agro investor, exporter or manufacturer within Nigeria and beyond with accommodation for duration of stay. They also have access to high yield seedlings and breed stock, lectures and sight seeing. One can check all necessary information on the official website, which includes the Obasanjo farms vision and mission. With over four decades in business, Obasanjo farms is one of the largest poultry farm in Nigeria.

There isn't much to write about Nigeria agricultural sector, however there is a need to unearth the unlimited opportunities in this non-oil sector of the Nigeria economy. And Obasanjo farms OTA seems to stand in the center of it all. The farm establishment almost does all Agro-based businesses such as poultry farming, turkey farming, pig farming, Grass-cutters farming, and other vegetable plants and cash crops cultivation. Obasanjo farms is a producer of varieties of poultry, livestock and farm products.

SECURITY

It was a great experience indeed. The road seemed to have no end. There were just two check points from the main gate to where I was posted - the chicken processing unit. The mopols at each one of them seemed to possessed of a belligerent vitality. They stopped everyone going out from the farmland, irrespective of the department you work in. They stopped every vehicle, searched all nooks and crannies, emptied every bag and sack, dug their eyes into them, barked a thousand questions. And if you are coming in, you will have to sign in by also answering few questions, which involves your department and so on. However, for the fact that hundreds of workers/labourers enter in and goes out from the large farmland, one could wonder why the use of ID cards isn't use. Just standing and looking from the front gate inside, you could see the mould statue of the Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo with his farm tools, lol. From there, is the admin and accounting office, also the vet office and drug store.

WORKER WELFARE

I have read online from various websites in Nigeria about the number of employed workers in Obasanjo farms. A lot of these websites claimed that nearly 5,500 workers are employed at the farm. Lol, that is quite an incredible stats. Unless the farm they all writes about is not located here in Nigeria. The department I worked, we are not even up to 200 workers. With my calculation and findings from past and present workers in the farm, the total number of workers and labourers are not up to 2,000 in numbers. And we all know that for labourers, they come and go, including those casual workers. Like the famous words - "Soldier come, soldier go - barrack still remains". So, that could leave the total number of active workers at Obasanjo farms down to 1,000 workers.

The treatment of workers at Obasanjo farms OTA is even worse for anyone to even consider working for more than two days. To be sincere, it was not fair at all. Workers are treated just as slaves - no resting hours/periods, no working shift, no breaktime. You could stand all day working without setting down, unless there is power interruption, and that last like how many minutes? 5 minutes. And don't get me started on workers salary >>>>>>

Article Source: https://www.agrolivestockfarming.com.ng/2023/04/obasanjo-farms-ota-brief-history.html