Still on Awakening programme August 6th
Our guest for this week is Prince Godspower Chimereze CEO, MEREZ Integrated Agric. Enterprise Livestock Management Expert and Agricultural Project Consultant.

Lyrics:why do you think young youths have this mindset of”wetin I wan use farm do?”.

Mr Chimereze:I will start by asking why you dey chop food?

Lyrics:Because I dey hungry

Mr Chimereze: who dey do that one wey you dey chop

Lyrics:I buy am

Mr Chimereze: that is exactly how to answer that your question. She asked if you have a farm in your house. Well me I don’t a farm I have farms. I have a personal farm and also have farms that I consult for and those farms are also my farm.

Why do u think we have this mentality of farming is not our thing.

Mr Chimereze: it’s an unfortunate situation that we are born into it. Born into it in the sense that anybody that is categorized as a youth today was born into the oil boom. And the oil boon pushed our mindset away from agriculture. I will say that its not our fault because we found ourselves when the country is enjoying from the proceeds from the oil.

Are we doomed?

Mr Chimereze: we are not doomed instead we are only reversing back to the status hope.I think the government should keep agriculture running while oil is still there. We the youth and even grandaunts of agriculture wants to be a staff in the oil company.So I think this is the mainly cause of thought we tend to possess.

What do you think about youth in the South East region. How they are accepting agriculture, Do you think they participate well in agriculture or are they going for white collar jobs.

Mr Chimereze: as of today or as of before

Lyrics: As of now

Mr Chimereze; unfortunately too just as I answered the first one, the youths of the south eastern region we are business oriented persons and been born into the oil boom. All of our business expertise was moved into the oil business, It pushed us out of agriculture. They are not doing anything as regards to agriculture.
Now the reason for this is that we have not reoriented our mindset to see the business prospects and aspects for agriculture. And for those who has reoriented their mindset they now see the prospects and aspects of agriculture. The southeast region does not do a thing because every other person is doing it. If there is no profit In it you wont see an igbo man there.
The first thing is reorienting the mindset, understanding the business projections, profits of agriculture.
So to answer your above mentioned question, is “NO” the reason is clear just like I pointed out.

Lyrics I don’t know the secondary school you attended. I remember many years ago. If you are offering Agriculture as a subject. It will come to a time where they will tell you to come to school corn seeds that you guys will plant it.

Mr Chimereze: and then you will divide the land into segments all of you to get your own corner. I beg to come into that. That is one of our problems if we continue with that method our south eastern younger people that are going into youth age will be facing same problem.

Lyrics; why do say so?

Mr Chimereze; Good, agriculture is more practical than theoretical

But that is practical

Mr Chimereze: What is the practical there? You took one grain of beans and planted into the soil. Then for how long will you do that. That is not the practical.
When I talk about the practical. Recalled that When that happened do you remember any other thing your teacher told you about that activity you carried out. And its those things that you hear that you are been told of that will spoil your mindset to want to become an agriculturist. After the practical How many of your classmates said they would want to be an agriculturist. That is exactly the point I am making, let them begin to teach with the understanding of making profits in agriculture.
We need to change this mindset in agriculture and how do we do it..starting from the Ministry of Education should go on a sensitization and reorientation program for all agricultural science teachers.
Agricultural Science Teacher should learn how to practicalize and speak passion into the children. For Secondary School and Primary School. And they should be taught the essence of having a Personal Farm and also the benefits of agriculture.

Lyrics: Now You talked about the Government. And talking about reorientation People point finger at the government. Everyone Blames the Government. Now lets bring the government in. The reorientation you talked about the Ministry of Education. Minus the Ministry Of Education .Do you think the government is doing enough to support like we have the SME’s program, Microfinance Banks. Do you think they (Government) do enough to support us?.

Mr Chimereze: For me to answer this I have to take our mind back to the caption of the program.”The Youths”. And one the ways to make this work now is for this youth to start making profits.
Now to answer your above question. The Government is doing so much, The southern Eastern Government is trying their best. Why did I say they are trying their best. I pointed out reorientation. Let me mention the Microfinance Bank you talked about earlier. They said COVID19 loan .how many persons took that loan with the mindset of investing it into Agriculture. Some took that loan only to sustain themselves.
The government has provided support, the youths in particular, I happen to be in this government in Enugu State where I serve as the technical assistant to commissioner for agriculture.
But point is that the people that are receiving these facilities are not using for what is its supposed to be used for. Before I go further again I will like bring the needs for sensitization.
Agriculture we know is not a fast money making venture .that is the problem we have always had with our youths. What I am saying now is that while we talk about special time for orientation or reorientation program may I use this opportunity to now to do a brief one.
Agriculture is not Yahoo Yahoo!!!

Lyrics: E dey play E dey Show

Mr Chimereze: Part of the orientation is for our youth to begin to gap their heart to patience. Agriculture requires Patience and Consistency.

Chimereze speaking of patience and consistency, I am a young graduate from one of the universities in southeast and there is no money. So I have the option of probably going online in search for jobs and you talked about creating awareness from secondary school and teacher did a great job by teaching more about agriculture and I have passion for it. So what advice do you have to tell me , I have no money then I have option of getting a job or going into agriculture.

Mr Chimereze: Your Answer Is simple there is no business you start in life without money. So it’s not peculiar to agriculture. Some people say you are telling us to do agriculture and there is no money. What else can you do?. The fact that you get to start working elsewhere doesn’t change the fact that you have passion for agriculture. You must have heard some people who left their businesses to go into agriculture. At first they might not have the money to start it up so they have to work and save up money for agriculture.
So can work in any fame you wish to, saved up some money and then go back to agriculture. You can be in the Medium or small and still benefiting in your own way.

Lyrics: Now we are going to open the phones lines on; 09020020925 or 08098888925 Remember you Can send us Message via Whatsapp on 07010106223 please don’t call the whatsapp line.

Caller 1:Please here is my question. I don’t have fund to start up Agriculture and I don’t have a white collar Job also, is there any way the farmers can render assistance to upcoming farmers.

Mr Chimereze: You don’t fund and you don’t job as well and you are just seated in your house and you are saying you don’t have fund. Well my advice to you is to go look for a way to raise money. I can tell you some farms out there who need marketers to market there products. Just like I said earlier you must have to saved up because there is business you can start up without fund and also open ear to governments opportunities.

So Mr.Chimereze Moving Forward looking at the future of farming What Advice do u have for the young people.

Mr Chimereze: The Advice young person’s is Number 1.Remove your mind from Yahoo yahoo (Scam).Bet9ja, remove your mind from E dey play E dey show.

Lyrics; No let me explain what is meant by E dey play E dey show. Its means as far as you are working it the result is coming out.

Mr Chimereze: Ok based on that explanation Agriculture is highest E dey play E dey show ,because if you plant Maize Today in the next one week You dey see am. Two weeks e don come out. One month you dey chop am.

So my Advice to the South Eastern youths is that the future of agriculture is very anonymous The potentials is something we cannot sit in this studio to start talking about. It is just a matter of patience and consistency. It is important that we know that the benefits of agriculture. So I encourage every youth to venture into agriculture in any way you can make sure you are doing something to fit in ourselves. Look at what COVID19 have done to us. I want to say it in short forms.”COVID19 has taught us how to farm even more than we ever taught we could.