Atolagbe Animashaun, Chief Executive Officer of Tola GuineaFowl Ventures, who runs the most popular grilled foods spot in Lagos-has pleaded with the Government to add Practical Farming as a compulsory subject in Junior and Secondary Schools across the country.

The King of Finger Foods, as he is fondly called, made his advice to the Federal Government public in a recent chat with Journalists. Atolagbe Animashuan runs Tola Guinea Fowl Ventures, the oldest and most trusted grilling service company in Lagos and over the past couple of years has emerged as one of the major players when it comes to events in Nigeria. His most popular product, the Roasted and Peppered Guinea Fowl(awo) has been a favorite of the high and mighty for the past 15 years. His skill and consistency over the past 19 years since he launched has made him and his brand get and many partnerships with the biggest Event Planners in Nigeria.

Mr Atolagbe Animashuan is very passionate about farming and agriculture and is quite saddened by the attitude of today’s generation of youth’s attitude towards farming. He feels something has to been done about that mindset of the youths towards a very profitable and vital occupation – Farming. Hence he has called for a strategic and systematic re-orientation of the youths of a country.

He commended the efforts of the government over the past couple of years towards the sensitization of the Nigerian youth about the promise, importance and honor involved in farming. The government made grants, loans, material, land all available to budding young farmers, the problem is that the youths out there now see Farming as a dirty, if not shameful job.

He urged the government has to plant the seed for the love of farming in their minds of the next generation of Nigerian youths early on. These little ones will be taught that a Farmer is as important as a Doctor, Engineer, Teacher, Soldier or President.

He said:
“Having thought about this for quite a while now, I am very sure that a sure fire way to get more youths interested in farming is to start at a very early age. When was the last time you asked a teen-ager or child for his preferred future occupation and heard “I want to be a Farmer”, they will be made to understand that farming is every bit as vital and profitable as medicine or entertainment.

He has asks the Government to create a new compulsory subject for all secondary pupils tagged PRACTICAL FARMING. This new subject would be compulsory for all children in Junior and Senior secondary schools across the country.

We have to create a generation of young, educated and passionate youths who are genuinely interested about farming. We can take a leaf from the Chinese, their young are taught about technology at a very age. We all know how that alone has helped boost the Chinese economy.

China gives their children technological advancementIsreal gives their children military trainingLet Nigeria give it children Farming, they will thank us later. “

The staunch farming enthusiast went on to highlight some unbelievable and real effects on getting the younger generation involved in farming:
1. Farming will teach the next generation about the importance of hard work and farmers to the world at a very young age.
2. Crime rates would reduce significantly if more of next generation of youths went into farming.
3. Unemployment rates would plunge as these budding farmers become self employed.

We as a nation have to work together if we are to utilize the agricultural resources of our country. We have to recognize that farmers are not slaves but an important part of our society and economy.

If everybody abandons farming and refuses to farm, where would food come from; the rich, powerful, wise and skilled all need the farmer.
We have a very blessed and fertile land that was a gift from God and we are not utilizing it not yet enough. Encouraging the youth to become involved in farming will be very beneficial to the economy and country. The government and the people have to do more to create and increase the awareness and interest in farming.

In the days of our great, grand fathers, if they wanted to reward a young man for pleasing them or doing something commendable. They didn’t give that young man money, wife or food, they would give him a land to begin farming. And over time that young man would begin successful.

He rounded up with this:
Farming is a very profitable business, there can be 100 farmers in a town and all of them would be very well. A farmer is as smart as a doctor or engineer or teacher or banker, the youth need to take pride in farming and understand that the money and success they are looking for is in the very work they are avoiding. Farming has always and would always been one of the best legacies to leave behind, we forget that farming was once the only occupation and job in the world. Everything came from FARMING!