Agriculture is the most effective vehicle for poverty eradication –Daisi

Chief Oluwole Daisi Aina, is the chairman, governing board of National Roots Crop Research Institute. He is a man of many parts but one of the most prominent aspect of him is his passion for agriculture, which has seen him work and invested in that sector. In this interview with Senior Correspondent, Hazeez Balogun, he spoke on several issues of national importance and the revolution currently taking place in the agricultural sector and declared that the sector is the most effective vehicle for poverty eradication

You shut down Regent Printing and Publishing; what led to the decision to close it down?

When I started printing in 1994, from the experience I gathered from other people, and from my understanding of the business, I told myself that by the time I am 60 years, I do not want to do printing again because printing takes all your time and  it is very stressful. We built the printing business from scratch with an investment of less than N300,000 in 1994 to the enviable level that it reached.  I put all my life into it, re-investing into the business the profit we were making because I was keen on building an enduring structure.

Other reasons include the fact that my children were not really interested in pursuing printing as a career. My father was a teacher and he never compelled me to be a teacher even though he ended up sending me to ateacher training school but I changed my cause of life and destiny. Another factor is that though, we invested in manpower development as a company, it is sad that just like every other Nigerian employer’s experience, an average Nigerian employee is in a hurry; dedication and loyalty is absent, they want to be like you over night without wanting to pass through the process. I can tell you that by the grace of God, The Regent Printing and Publishing Limited contributed immensely to the printing industry in Nigeria within the time of its existence. I am glad today to see how far the industry has grown and is still growing.

The third reason we decided to leave the business was on the basis of moral and ethical beliefs. At some point, it became difficult to marry the corrupt business environment with my faith.

So in other words, one of the major reasons why you quit is because of the level of corruption in the public sector.

Oh sure. That was one of the major reasons why I had to quit so early. I couldn’t stand the level of corruption in the system and there was no other way because it is the same thing everywhere you go. If you refuse to work according to their dictates, they will stop giving you jobs.

Don’t you think what happened to you is a classic example of how genuine businesses and businessmen are forced out of business in Nigeria because of corruption?

I agree with you. You are not far from the truth. I want to tell you today that from my experience and from what I have gone through, it is very difficult for you to succeed in business today, particularly when you are doing public sector business, without soiling your hand. I am not saying it is impossible, but it is sincerely difficult. So the choice is yours.

You are a politician, and your party is the ruling party in the country, what do you think can be done to correct this culture of corruption?

Well, I don’t need to be a politician before I can suggest what can be done to tackle corruption but I tell you what, sincerely from experience, and from my looking at the system, our values have been perverted and completely eroded and until we reinstate our values, the issue of corruption will not go away.

I am saying this because people no longer have the fear of God in their heart; most of us are very religious but empty spiritually. People no longer look at what you can offer in terms of your professionalism, in terms of the quality of what you can do. It is now how much you can give that is of value and the craze for material needs has again made the daily lives of people miserable. Majority of our people are in a mad rush for material things and the unfortunate thing is that we are busy running after what we don’t need. So the only way you can correct these things is to begin to correct the value system of Nigerians and particularly our youths that are coming up. We need to correct their values, let them know that dignity pays, let them know that integrity pays. They need reorientation right from primary school.

When I was in primary school we used to have a course called ‘civic responsibility’. We were taught all about what the country would do for you and what you can do for the country. Today it is no longer there; religious studies are no longer a priority in schools. Our mentality is totally bankrupt and a nation that is morally bankrupt cannot grow! We need to go back to God and begin to redirect our lives and our future to the path of righteousness.

If you look at the children of Israel, when they came out of bondage in Egypt, God told them if they deviate from His ways, they would suffer and that was what happened but each time they repented and returned to Him, their story changed. Nigeria must come back to God and sincerely too. We must really come back to God!

You sound like a religious man, how do you marry religion, politics and business?

It is very easy; I am not very religious, rather I am spiritual and I fear God. We are religious in this country but we are empty when it comes to spirituality. What I want to tell you is that it is very easy to combine them. The way to go about it is to put your trust in God, try to purge yourself of covetousness and be satisfied with what God has given you. If you can marry these virtues to your life, it will be very easy for you to survive because I can tell you that the basic needs of any human being are food, shelter and good health and you don’t need to steal to get all these things. You don’t need to soil your hands to get all these things or belong to any secret society.

The bible tells us in Philippians 4 verse 19 that “my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in his glory”. God is so rich that He said He will supply all your needs.  So if everybody can focus on his needs, I think there will be abundant resources to cater for everybody in this nation; there will be no reason for poverty or begging.

Can you throw more light on your philanthropic activities?

I don’t like beating my drum but I know God has helped me tremendously to touch the lives of youths around me. First of all, in the Regent Printing and Publishing, we used to have a programme called Graduate Apprentice Scheme, and I know that from this organisation, before we finally close down in 2011, we were able to train well over 150 young men and women in the printing industry. We empowered them; we taught them how to fish rather than giving them fish to eat and this was a huge budget on the part of my company without any government support. Also in my community today, our foundation has about 40 students that we are sending to various tertiary institutions of higher learning in this country; majority of these students are people I don’t know. As a community person, I know that I have done so much in my community with the provision of water and other things. My community is building a higher institution now, a college of technology and God has used us to be part of that project. We have spent so much on that college and as we speak, the college is being accredited by the National Board of Technical Education. It has been a privilege to do all these and more because if I didn’t, someone else will.

What is the motivation? Is it politics or just your area of interest, something you believe God wants you to do?

That is what God wants me to do and nobody can stop me! I don’t have any political ambition. In fact, people have called me several times to come and be this or contest for that but I said I am not interested. It is just a call and I believe I am keying into what God wants me to do. The truth is that I grew up deprived, I grew up without being given the chance to survive in life; so I’m giving back to the society that has brought me to the level I am today.

Let’s know your educational and business background

I have a first degree in economics from the University of Ibadan also a graduate of Haggai Leadership Training Institute, Maui, USA. I hold a masters and PhD degrees in Christian leadership.  I have worked all my life in the private sector after starting my career with NNPC/PPMC in Kano as a youth corper. Thereafter, I went to the agricultural and beverages industries as a salesman and rose to the position of a marketing manager before I went into full time private business in 1989. Actually, I started a company in 1984 and ran it on part time basis until I left paid employment fully in 1989 and today I sit atop a modest organisation called The Regent Group as chairman and CEO.

You also have a large farm in Osun State, why did you decide to set it up?

Well, like I told you, I have been involved in agriculture for a long time. Before now, I used to produce yoghurt from cattle milk in Kaduna and up till now, I still have more than 150 herds of cattle on my farm. I had worked before in Niger First Integrated Farms, Kaduna as the marketing manager and that was one of the biggest integrated farms in this nation. It was owned by retired General Wushishi. My interest in agriculture has been from childhood and I love planting things around me and again, I have a farm in my village where I employed people and we are into palm tree cultivation and cassava. That’s what we do.

How profitable has that been?

Though farming has not been a very profitable venture, I can tell you that with the present transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, the face of farming is changing.

You were recently appointed the chairman of National Roots Crop Research Institute, will you say your involvement in agriculture was noticed and that is what got you the job?

I will like to attribute my appointment to the will of God and at the same time thank the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. I must equally add here that I don’t know what informed his choice but I believe that he was led to choose the right person; the right peg for the right hole. I will say I don’t know his thinking, I don’t know the basis or what criteria were used because I am not the biggest cassava farmer in Nigeria. So it is not because of what I am doing but I believe that God works in his own ways; I believe that God has already ordained it that I will be in this sector because of my interest and passion for the sector. The truth is that I have a big passion for agriculture and there is no doubt about that.

You have been saddled with that responsibility, how do you hope to tackle the problems we have in that sector and get people to embrace agriculture once again?

Well, it is sad that our nation has changed from a producer of agricultural and exporter of agricultural produce to a net importer of it. Before the 1970’s, we were exporters of cocoa, groundnut, palm oil but today we are zero in these areas. Why, because we have made agriculture unattractive but I want to commend this present administration; in all fairness, they have done so much on agriculture particularly because of the zeal and dedication of our present Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Adesina Akinwumi; I salute him for the good things he is doing and that is one of the things that keep impressing me about President Jonathan; he has the right person in that area. I can only build on that through the institute that I head as a board chairman; I can only build on whatever they are doing.

What they are doing currently is good and they are taking it step by step because agriculture is supposed to be a value chain; it is not something you concentrate on just one aspect, it goes beyond planting. Agric involves even research, new technology, products, and new forms of farming and so on. Agriculture is a big business and not a social service. So, what the government is currently doing, which I am aware of, is that they are revolutionising the sector. For instance, the government is involved in land clearing now for farmers which is very good; the government has started making provision for credit facilities to farmers and eradicated racketeering in fertilizer procurement; that is a big breakthrough. Before now, our farmers either don’t get the fertilizers or when they get, it is adulterated, but today, farmers get fertilizers and so many other things. This government is looking at making the private sector very effective in agriculture and I believe over the next few years, we will begin to see the result of what is been done in the sector.

Let me make a prediction; by the time everybody begin to see the returns on the investment in agriculture, people will run back to it. Agriculture is the major and the only effective form of poverty eradication anywhere in the world. When you neglect agriculture, you cannot eradicate poverty because the moment a man can feed, he is not in poverty, and there is always a guaranteed market. I can tell you that the government has done so well by engaging so many private sector organisations, big users, the end users of agricultural products to guarantee market, and so once the market is guaranteed, more farmers will go and plant more. If I plant this season, and I am able to sell off all my produce, definitely next year, I am going to increase my produce.

Nigeria is the biggest, the number one country that produces cassava and yam tuber in the whole world; we are a big player in ginger, cocoyam and that is part of the mandate of my institute and of course, I am happy to be there! I am right in my zone!

What are your agenda?

To start with, my agenda cannot be outside the agenda of the agricultural transformation of the Federal Government; all I am going to do is to see how I can use my passion, experience and network to ensure the effective achievement of the goal assigned by Mr. President. That is all I can do and remember; I am not the chief executive of the institute, I am just heading the board to monitor, evaluate, and guide the policy making process of the institute; that is my job! So the effective execution, the day-to-day running of the institution is in the hand of the chief executive

How did you get involved in politics?

I have been involved in the politics of my community because the only way a community can be empowered and can be integrated to the scheme of things is to belong politically. What I have done so far is to start from my community as a community leader and of course I know that most of the things I say are respected and they know whatever I do or say is selfless. I am currently the Oluomo of Iresiland, which was an honour in recognition of my service to my people. I am currently the Chairman of Iresi Zenith, which is a body of Iresi elite for the purpose of providing direction and advice to the Iresi Progressive Union.   I am not interested in seeking for an elective position. I will never do it, but if I am called to serve in any capacity, I would freely give my service within the limit of my own terms and conscience; I will do it to the best of my ability.

You are a member of PDP and also from Osun State where an APC governor is in charge, how will you evaluate or access the performance of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola so far?

Political differences apart, I think Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has done well within the period he has ruled Osun State. What is important to me is to get the job done and not who does or where he comes from. Of course, it will be my joy for my party to rule my state and I will work for it such that in 2014, my party will rule Osun State and other states in the South West. Remember that the governorship election in Osun and Ekiti states are critical to the fortune of my party in the South West.

Looking at 2015, do you think President Jonathan should contest?

President Jonathan is the one that can answer that question not me. Let me tell you, President Jonathan is a citizen of this country, he has the constitutional right to contest an election in 2015 and nobody can stop him except the constitution prescribes otherwise.

But assuming the President seeks your advice, what will you say to him?

You said if he seeks my advice, that advice should be given to him in privacy. If he seeks my advice, I will give him that advice in privacy and not in public.