Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
By Yemi Akintomide, Akure
His emergence as the 4th National President of Cocoa Farmers Association of (CFAN) was the most beautiful and rewarding story that has ever happened to cocoa farming and production in Nigeria in recent time, as Comrade Adeola Adegoke clearly painted the perfect picture of a young, energetic and enterprising man who against all odds, determined to succeed in a trade where his peers dare to tread because it was believed, since time immemorial, to belong to their great grand fathers and not fashionable for our own generation.
For the newly inaugurated national President of CFAN, an umbrella body for all practising cocoa farmers nationwide, Adeola Adegoke journey to the very top of the pretigeous and oldest profession took over twenty years of consistency, perseverance, strong zeal, hardworking doggedness, sightedness and comradeship of unalloyed loyalty to the leadership along the years, including that of his predecessor led by late Chief Raimi Adeniji under whose he served as General Secretary.
Youthful Adegoke came from a rich background of quality leadership, vigour and ability to soar higher in collective goals getting as state coordinator of OYAG, Ondo Youths Action Group, a vibrant youth group that made solid impact before and during the administration of late Dr. Olusegun Ajagu as the governor Ondo State between 2003 and 2009, and since then, the Ondo town born comrade has been combining the tasks of leading Ondo youths politically and that of serving the old generation of cocoa farmers through CFAN. He is definitely, a bridge builder of high repute.
That was why on the day of his inauguration as National President of CFAN, on July 4, 2019 at the Banquet hall of AdeSuper Hotel, Ilesa road, Akure, it was a perfect mixture of both old and young people of all sexes from all member states to celebrate our youthful cocoa man on board who had vowed to stop the continuous neglect of the cocoa sector of the nation economy by calling on the Federal and State Governments to work towards reviving and repositioning the sector.
Though, the event of day has remained one of most celebrated with lots of entertainments, dance steps, traditional Egin (Ondo) music and dance steps by the Ondo State Cultural Trouple who entertained guests for several hours, the President could not wait to voice out some of the burning issues agitating his mind, noting that there was a decline in the nation’s production of cocoa.
According to him, “Nigeria has been relegated to seventh position from fourth position among the global cocoa producing, therefore, CFAN is ready to collaborate with government at all levels to retain the vantage position among the cocoa producing countries of the world. We are ready to work with the government and other relevant bodies to ensure that cocoa which is highest earner of income to the government is brought back to life. This administration would focus on irrigation system, infrastructural development in cocoa villages, cocoa farmers data, Agro input subsidy, cocoa quality and value addition.
“The case of cocoa is lamentable because Nigeria used to rank among the first five largest producers before the neglect. Nigeria’s coca production which peaked at around 400,000 tonnes a year in the 1970s now accounts for far less.”
Adegoke also called on government to help the cocoa farmers in the area of road network, lamenting that most of the roads leading to cocoa farms “are nothing to wrote home about. We usually encounter serious challenge in transporting our cocoa from the farm to town because of the bad road network. We want to call on government at level to help in the construction of road and this will go a long way to help in the production of coca”.
And like a comrade he is, Adegoke quickly assured his audience, which included the representative of Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and commissioner for Agriculture, Gboyega Adefarati, immediate past Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, representatives of governors of Ekiti, Osun and Oyo States, captains of Cocoa processing companies, commercial banks, chemicals and allied manufacturing companies and other stakeholders in cocoa production and marketing: that the new executive of CFAN would soon establish a data base of all the cocoa farmers to provide adequate and accurate information on cocoa farmers which will assist government, NGO and research institute on cocoa production, calling on all members of the new national executive to work towards the development of cocoa in the country.
The immediate past Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and political mentor of the young National President, who has sat down and listening attentively to several speakers for hours, urged his successor, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to bring life back to the Cocoa Chocolate factory in Idanre local government for the benefit of the people and to also subsidize cocoa production to boost foreign earnings for the state.
The former governor recalled with nostalgia that up to 1969, more than 60 percent of the country’s earnings came from cocoa production, noting that the reactivation of the chocolate factory in Idanre by the state government would go a long way in encouraging local production of Cocoa and boost employment among cocoa farmers and marketers.
“There is the need to add value to cocoa rebirth and liberate cocoa producers from middlemen slavery, it is so irritating that cocoa farmers can not determine the price of what they produce annually. The chocolate factory should be a pilot establishment to train people on how to produce chocolate, which had been the exclusive reserve of the expatriates. During my administration, we produced chocolate bars twice at the Idanre factory and I tell you, our chocolate bars won a sliver medal at a competition in New York where over two hundred chocolate bars were participants. So, with the zeal and renew vigour, Ondo State Government can continue the production and increase foreign earnings and more profits for cocoa farmers. It is very painful and unaccepted to know that only as little as N6 is going to the pocket of the farmer who is the main producer of cocoa in every N100 of a bar of chocolate directly produced from cocoa beans”.
Mimiko however, hailed Akeredolu for approving free distribution of large cocoa seedlings to farmers in the state, noting that this would bring Ondo back to its glorious days as Nigeria’s number one cocoa producing state, as he expressed the need for CFAN and other stakeholders to work on Cocoa Commodity Exchange Forum to discourage activities of the middlemen in cocoa exporting and marketing.
Governor Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu (SAN) who was represented at the event by the state commissioner for Agriculture, Otunba Adegboyega Adefarati noted with displeasure that Ondo state regarded as Nigeria’s number one cocoa producer was having the position threatened because of various challenges.
Such constraints, he said were old age of farmers and cocoa farms, urbanisation, price fluctuation, old varieties of cocoa and poor roads among others, challenging CFAN to put in place measures that would encourage youths to be more involved in Cocoa plantations and the urgent need for diversification of the economy through investment in the Cocoa industry.
The governor disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) will soon commence the disbursement of N200b to all farmers in the state on tenure of 10 years at a single-digit interest rate of nine percent.
And for me, I have decided to head for Igbo Olodumare, and Abata Egba, both villages hosted large-scale of cocoa farms owned by my great grand father and grandfather respectively, where I shall immediately sack the tenants on the lands (Areemoko) to start my own cocoa farms so I will henceforth, join as a member of CFAN so I can help my friend and national President in realising many of his dreams for we members of CFAN.
The wealth of experience, youthfulness and dedication to duty of the newly inaugurated National President of CFAN will not take time to manifest in the life and style of cocoa farmers all over Nigeria as the new Cocoa man on the block, Adeola Adegoke is set to take cocoa farming and marketing to the next level. God help you, dear friend.
Yemi Akintomide wrote from
Orita- Obele, Akure- Ondo State.
E-mail:yemiakintomide02@gmail.com. 08069204292
