By Kingsley Femi Fanwo
During the last holiday, I took time to go round some villages in my own Mopamuro Local Government Area. What I saw gave me hope, solid, practical hope. Our people are going back to the farms. Not out of desperation, but with renewed determination to drive economic revival, tackle food inflation, and reclaim the dignity of labour.
This quiet but powerful revolution is not accidental. It is the result of strategic leadership, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s leadership, which has made agriculture the cornerstone of Kogi State’s economic recalibration.
Only a few months ago, farmers in many parts of the state were living in fear. Violent herdsmen threatened food production in two devastating ways: their animals were destroying our crops and their presence instilled fear, driving farmers away from the farmlands.
The path to rebounding our state to the path of food security started under the leadership of the immediate past Governor of the State, His Excellency Alh Yahaya Bello. And under Governor Ododo, we have implemented a bottom-to-top security architecture, a bold, community-driven approach that is returning security to the grassroots. Communities are now more involved than ever in securing their domains. This renewed vigilance has empowered farmers to return to their farmlands with confidence.
In the places where I visited, farming is no longer done in fear. It is now done with belief and freedom. I am not saying that the State is completely free of insecurity. It is not. But the steps and pathways to the restoration of security as championed by the Governor has given the farmers the confidence to return to farming.
I can also confirm that the marching order to appointees of the Governor to embark on farming has also brought confidence to rural farmers and have also ignited a sense of security amongst them. In Kogi, virtually everyone is going back to the farm. This silent revolution is positioning the state for massive investment in agriculture and food processing.
Governor Ododo’s vision for agriculture goes beyond planting crops, it includes planting development in rural communities. That is why his administration is investing in the remodeling of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state, ensuring rural dwellers have access to quality health services. Communities that are very rural are currently witnessing massive remodelling of the PHCs with a promise to equip them with facilities and staffing form them to have access to quality healthcare.
A healthy farmer is a productive farmer. This investment in rural healthcare is part of a wider strategy to make rural life livable, sustainable, and attractive, especially for the next generation.
And through the World Bank-supported RAMP (Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project), the government is opening up roads that connect farmers to markets. Produce must move. Farmers must sell. The rural economy must breathe. Access roads to agrarian areas are no longer dreams on paper, they are realities on the ground.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this revolution is the response from our youth. For too long, agriculture was viewed as a poor man’s hustle. But that perception is changing fast. Under the Ododo administration, agriculture has become a gateway to wealth creation and economic relevance.
Young people across the state are embracing farming, not just as workers, but as agripreneurs. They are tapping into government programs that offer training, access to funding, and land. They are building farms with spreadsheets, mobile apps, and modern tools. It’s a new kind of farming and Kogi youth are leading the charge.
Two weeks ago, I joined the All Farmers Association of Nigeria in my Local Government Area. I also realized that more than 70% of that Association are young people. Many of them are investing massively in cashew plantation. Kogi is on the path to food boom if we can sustain our agricultural policies and continue the war to stamp out criminals from our state.
Across Kogi State, farms are active, food is growing, and hope is returning. Agriculture is no longer a policy slogan. It is now an economic engine, driven by the people, fueled by visionary leadership.
Governor Ododo has not only returned our people to the land, he has given them reason to believe that the land can give back.
We are not just fighting food inflation. We are confronting unemployment. We are building food security. We are restoring pride in farming. We are laying the foundation for long-term prosperity, with agriculture as our anchor.
His Excellency Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo is not just leading. He is listening, learning, and lifting. By putting the farmer at the center of our economic agenda, he is positioning Kogi as a state that is not waiting for handouts, but harvesting solutions from its soil.
From Mopamuro to Ibaji, from Yagba East to Dekina, the green shoots of progress are sprouting. This is more than an agricultural strategy, it is a survival strategy. It is a prosperity plan.
At the last State Executive Council Meeting at the Government House in Lokoja, the Governor sparked a new vista of leadership by directing his appointees to spend more time with the people. He said they are appointed to be the link between their people and the Government. Now many of the appointees are leading by example by setting up farms and showing the people that agriculture is our new oil.
He is not a Farmer Governor, he is the Governor of the Farmers, a true servant of the people. He has brought servant leadership to the fore.
And it is working.
Kingsley Femi Fanwo is the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kogi State
