Diary of a College Kid: Anticipating Resumption

The last time I wrote something related to this topic was during my Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme. Finished the program last month and ever since then I have been looking forward to resume the new academic session. The anticipation would have been over assuming the ongoing strike by ASUP was called off or atleast suspended. Although news filtering in gives me a glimmer of hope that I will be back in school soon and would probably commence receiving lectures latest by May. I just pray ASUP and the Federal Government ressolve their differences before the month ends. They say when two elephants fight, the grass suffers. Abi no be so? By the way, as the current acting President of the Association of Agricultural Technology Students, Yabatech, I am also bracing myself for the tasks ahead. God is my strength.

Meanwhile, I have had other official reasons to visit my school recently, despite the ongoing strike. It has to do with submitting a couple of documents and stuff like that. These appointments seem to have caused I and most of my course mates that I haven't seen in a while to link up. So it's always like a family reunion whenever we converge inside the school premises. Handshakes and hugs; 'Oh My God' and 'Missed You' - these gestures and phrases are inevitably expressed by my colleagues during the 'reunion'. Well, I only do gestures. The phrases are feminine in a way. Uncool for guys!

Something dawned on me the previous time I was in school. I noticed the premises of Yaba College of Technology is filled with all kinds of statue. Art in its physical form. It shows how really creative my fellow students are. Belonging to the Faculty of Technology doesn't deprive me the privilege of being an art enthusiast. I love paintings and sculpture. In fact, my ex is a Fine Artist. Literally! She pays attention to details. I guess it's an artistic attribute, if you know what I mean. End of story.

I took some snapshots while standing in front of a statue that reminds me of Greek's Korous/Apollo. I'd say a timid version of that though. Check out pics below.

Do AGRIC! AgroPreneurship Is The Future.

According to the history books, Agriculture was the first occupation on earth. If you read the Bible regularly, I am sure you must have stumbled upon several verses that made reference to farming and animal rearing. Well, if you haven't - then cultivate the habbit of studying the Bible more often. I am beginning to strike you as a pastor, right? Never planned that the first paragraph of this article would have a religious theme or divine direction. Perhaps, it's the Lord's doing. Going with the flow.

What if Agriculture is the Alpha and Omega of our economy? It has been prominent since the beginning of time, and will probably be so until the end of time. Some day in Nigeria, there will be a paradigm shift from oil and gas to the Agricultural sector. My dear country should brace herself, because crude oil will most likely get exhausted in the nearest future.

Robots need electricity to charge the batteries that make them function. Ask Robocop! So also do humans need Agriculture in order to provide food for mankind. If you stop eating, you'll definitely stop existing. And I am not talking about fasting. I mean the aftermath effect of starvation. I believe it's now clear and evident that the importance of Agriculture cannot be overemphasized. If I start listing and explaining each and every merit of Agric, I would end up penning down so many words enough to publish an encyclopedia.

Therefore, when I say AgroPreneurship is the future, it's not a bluff. It's real talk! Some of you might be wondering what the heck is AgroPreneurship? This term refers to the ability of applying one's entrepreneurial skill into the field of Agriculture with the aim of making profit.

International Nigerian entertainer, D'Banj, is a worthy mention in the aspect of those taking the lead in AgroPreneurship. A while back the Kokomaster introduced his Koko Garri to the commercial world. As a young person juggling music with school presently, I found this move by D'Banj quite inspiring, perhaps because I am studying Agricultural Technology. I discovered that I can actually marry showbiz and agriculture together. First and foremost, I have to graduate from the University and then concentrate on building a big brand as an artiste or public figure and later invest in Agriculture. Well, that is just my own opinion. My fellow course mates also expressed their own reactions towards D'Banj and his Do AGRIC movement.

"I concur, Agric definitely pays, but what about the capital? Most farms are closed because the farmer has no other source of living. I am talking from experience, believe me." - Isheyemi Funmi

"Everything is not about capital, what you need is the idea first. There after, the original you inside you will channel your mind to how you can get capital. All these great and successful entrrpreneurs in Nigeria today didn't put capital first. My point is that the idea should come first" - Aboluwade James

"There is a saying that when rich people are talking of money, a poor man is saying he has an idea. Or don't you know before D'Banj could invent this, many have gotten the idea but there is no money. I rest my case." - Omotayo Tumise

"Dbanj should concentrate on singing, because all I know is that koko garri aint gonna be cheap, and let's put packaging aside, garri is garri. Money will always be the key word here, if not I would have started a small broiler flock this whole time I have been home doing nothing due to the strike. Ideas are many, capital is scarce. If D'banj wanted my recognition, instead of doing all these, he should have paid into an agric student's dream, I think koko eggs would make an ideal statement." - Chima Nkiru

"For me I only see effectiveness in everything D'banj had done, is doing and will still be doing. Probably as regards the 'Koko Garri' only GOD knows what the future holds, it is backed up with 'capital' so no matter what you want to do as an entrepreneur capital must set in either on a large scale or small scale. Though the idea is also needed but it must be backed up with capital. I won't be surprised when i get to see 'Fecko's Rice' in a 25 litre keg. LOL" - Smith Ademola

Well, from the above correspondence you will notice that the key word is 'Capital'. Yes, capital is very important when starting an enterprise. However, borrowing the words of Zig Zigglar, we must learn to 'think big, start small and start now.' May I also add that packaging is what would attract more customers to your product. It's what will make a tush kid in Shoprite say "Mummy please add Koko Garri to our cart". Packaging is what makes your product standout, it also adds more value to it, hence more profit.

The Lagos State Government has spent N1billion to support some 400 graduate farmers trained under the state’s Agricultural Youths Empowerment Scheme (AGRIC-YES). These lucky ones now have a headstart in the agric business. What about millions of other Agric graduates out there in search of capital? Truth of the matter is, we need more hands on deck and more investors in the agric sector. Notwithstanding, we have to still acknowledge those taking the lead.
On a final note, every agric student, farmer and stakeholder in this noble profession should endeavor to awaken people's consciousness about the benefits of Agriculture. African musicians such as Diamond, Omawumi, Victoria Kimani, D'Banj and co recently teamed up to record and release a song called 'Cocoa Na Chocolate'. Rachid Taha's Arabic verse on that track seemed quite funny to me. Wish I understood what he was saying. All the same, music is universal. There are no barriers. Well, just like these artists I am also trying to create an awareness about Agriculture in my own little way. Hence, this article.

Do AGRIC! It pays!

Diary of a College Kid: SIWES

As an undergraduate in Nigeria, participating in the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is really necessary. Therefore, shortly after my second semester exam, I was placed at Kamjay Farms situated in Ibeju-Lekki, where I resumed work last month. Still wondering why I chose a farm? Well for the recs, I am an Agric Tech student. 

Apart from enjoying the sea-side breeze and the Eleko hospitality, I have been neck-deep in a lot of agricultural activities such as working at the feed mill and engaging in poultry and catfish production. Thus far, I have learnt a lot about feed formulation, vaccinating and debeaking poultry birds, carrying out post-mortems and identifying various diseases that affect chickens (layers and growers). I am also familiar with the management practices involved in poultry and catfish production.

I and 18 other course mates in my department were placed in the same organization. So inevitably, I have been living in the same house with people of different characters and background. In the process, I have learnt about understanding one another and being conscious of the human psychology before taking any action. The whole scenario reminds me of Big Brother Africa if I may add. These days I tend to be more inquisitive; considering the fact that the manager at the farm where I was placed asks questions before signing my log book every week, and he expects I and my colleagues to reciprocate the gesture. SIWES has been fun. There have been ups and downs, but all the same I thank God for his grace. 

 

On a lighter note, the environment motivates me to explore the journalist lurking around in my sub conscious. By the way, before I complete my SIWES program in March, I plan on writing a story or article which will be centered on the lifestyle of most fishermen dwelling in this area. There is something about them, especially the Ghanaians, which fascinates me. In the course of me working here, several times, I have been privileged to meet the former Permanent Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, who happens to own the farm. I also enjoy interacting with the doctor that visits the farm as a consultant. He has taught me quite a lot about animal health and I hope to learn more from him.

It’s your boy Feck, reporting live from Ibeju-lekki. Catch y’all later!

Why the Phobia for Lecturers?

Is it just me or are most students in Nigerian higher institutions somewhat scared of their lecturers? In the U.K for example (where I would have been studying if not for certain circumstances), it is difficult to differentiate a student from an academic staff due to the way they relate with one another. What do you expect when these folks pay over 3,000 pounds per session? Over there, it seem as though the lecturers work for the students. Same can be said of some private universities in Nigeria. 

Our case study is Yabatech, Epe campus. In my school it is a taboo for some lecturers to get to the class before the students. More so, only a couple of them entertain questions during lectures. The other day I could not help but laugh out loud when I saw a female student with a baby bump trying to outrun a lecturer. Thank God the pregnant lady did not miss the class after all. 

I decided to conduct a public poll as touching the topic and I asked my fellow students who their favourite lecturers were. Only two students answered me boldly while the rest chickened out. Hey, I would have done the same if I were in their shoes. Well, check out some of the responses bellow.

"I like the way Olayemi lectures. He has a nice smile too. I feel if you know what to do, you can get in his good books and stay there. Because of him, i held my first rabbit. Adebayo likes to think optimistically, he has a nice dress sense and he encourages everyone. He is like a father to me and i like the fact that he finishes his lectures on time. Both of them are almost alike." - Uchechukwu Okwara.

"I like Mr Balogun, because he's straight forward and transparent. Rosulu and Doctor Akinfemi also make my list" - Balikis Akodu.

"I'll tell you after my final exam, I don't want to come back for farm practice. YCT Epe campus is an advanced secondary school and the teachers and not lecturers this time use invisible cane on us." - Anonymous

"I don't have any favourite lecturer...I don't know why" - Tolani Banire

Seriously I miss my former Citizenship Education lecturer. He is the only academic staff I know in Yabatech that chops knuckle. Confam guy! Lol. As far as I am concerned, fear is a prison and the moment we stop perceiving our lecturers as deities or Greek gods, the closer we will get to them, and the more we would learn from these knowledgeable people. Just a thought!

Interview With Farmer's Quest Last Lady Standing

 

So I recently caught up with the Last Lady Standing in the Farmer’s Quest reality competition which took place in my school. Her name is Tolani, and she is a student of Agricultural Technology in Yabatech. I asked her few questions as touching the show. Read on bellow.

Hello Tolani

Hello

Okay, so the Farmer’s Quest is over. The stress is over. Life in the jungle is over. You are back to civilization. I bet you are enjoying now. So what was the experience like when you were in the jungle?

The experience was terrible. (laughs). Like big time terrible. We had to fight for food, as in, food without salt. We did not have our bath. It was crazy. Rain fell. We were under the rain, trying to fetch fire. It was really crazy.

So what made you participate in the contest?

Actually I didn'’t want to participate

Why?

I was like I can’t go for it. I knew it was going to be stressful for me. Someone purchased the form for me actually. The person encouraged me to go, and told me that I was strong.

So in other words, someone motivated you to go for it?

Yeah

So how do you feel being the last lady standing?

It wasn'’t easy. I had many competitors such as Balikis and Tosin. Actually Balikis really discouraged me. It got to a point she was behaving so weird. Even when she got evicted, she told me I couldn'’t win.

Did you feel like punching her in the face?

It got to a point when I felt like that sha

And you think you would have beaten her?

She would have beaten me, but at least I would have tried my best.

So how do feel being the last lady standing?

It is okay, in terms of popularity. People walk up to me and are like ‘you are the last lady standing’.

I have known you to be the reserved type, but you startled me on the day of the last task. When you guys were asked to climb the rope, where did the strength come from? Have you been undergoing some form of military training prior to the competition?

Actually I am this type of athletic person. Before I came to Yabatech, my church took us to a sea school. That is where they do their training for Ultimate Search too. We went through all these kind of training there. Being flexible again helped me. I am the kind of person that does no’t eat much. So it was easy for me to climb the rope. And I like climbing things, naturally.

PS: Also feel free to check out an interview with the winner here.

Diary of a College Kid: Working Behind The Scene

Who said farmers can’t think outside the box? Innovation and creativity is power, First of all, it was an idea conceived by an A.A.T.S executive, and now this dream is gradually unfolding into a reality.

Farmer’s Quest is a unique project spearheaded, organized and planned by the Association of Agricultural Technology Students of Yabatech (2012/2013 tenure) in association with the lecturers and army cadet of the institution. Over 30 students of the department showed interest, and only 15 students made it through to the competition.

I am an adventure seeker like Indiana Jones. So it was a fun filled experience for me when I had to assist the production crew that filmed the Farmer's Quest reality competition. As part of the organizers and planning committee, I was not just a mere spectator wandering about in the forest, watching my fellow students search for the quintessential hoe. I also participated in the demonstration process so as to ensure that the obstacles and physical tasks being set by the army cadets were somewhat civilian friendly. So I inevitably ended up jumping tires, crossing over bamboo sticks and climbing trees with the aid of a rope. At some point I felt like Vin Diesel pulling dangerous stunts on set of XXX. "These guys that participate in Ultimate Search dey try o", I said to myself.

 

When it was time to shoot, I and my colleagues had to hide in the bush like Vietnamese soldiers laying ambush, so that we won't be captured on camera. I recall during a late night shoot, the social director who was also a member of my association stepped on a nail accidentally and it resulted to severe bleeding. Thank God we had a first-aid box. Unfortunately, the key to open the lock was kept somewhere else. So I was accompanied by an army cadet, and immediately we dashed off in search for it. Some minutes later, we arrived and made sure the victim was properly treated.

The burning torch at the place of the talking drum kept us warm. It was a cold night. The contestants were drenched in the rain before arriving at the location. I really admired their endurance. The anchor whom we referred to as Uncle Steve would give Chidi Mokeme a good run for his money. Honestly, he wore a very stern look on his face that succeeded in instilling fear in the mind of all the contestants. His diction could have been better though.

We are in the post production phase of the project and I am most likely going to handle the narration. Our vision is to premiere the final cut in various higher institutions across the country, ‘Farmer's Quest Season I’’ may not be a high budget production as most critiques would expect. We started small. A lot of improvisation was done. However, we did not compromise standards. It can only get bigger and better.

Diary of a College Kid: Farm Practice

The ‘farm’ definitely crosses our mind when we talk about Agriculture. And as a student of Agricultural Technology schooling in Yabatech, the farm is to me what a barrack is to a soldier. For us, it is cutlasses over guns, driving tractors instead of armored vehicles, broadcasting seeds rather than grenades and what not.  Although farmers and soldiers share something in common, and that is ‘discipline’.

Initially, I wasn’t a fan of waking up as early as 6am on Monday and Wednesday mornings for Farm Practice. “Not again, I don’t want to get all sweaty, covered with dirt” - that used to be the most common phrase in my soliloquies. I likened my supervisors to prison warders. They struck me as slave drivers holding imaginary whips. I felt like a Negro working on a plantation.

Well, today my perception about working on the farm has changed. I now see it as a privilege to feed my nation. However, it is still a tedious yet noble profession. It is said that with great power comes great responsibility. Agriculture is the mother of nutrition and good health. It is the pinnacle of most agro-allied and non agro-allied occupations existing today. Without establishing certain trees and plants, medicinal herbs, cotton and timber cannot be produced. Pharmaceutical industries benefit from Agriculture. Entrepreneurs, Civil Engineers, Textile and Furniture Industries also acknowledge that the importance of Agriculture to mankind cannot be over emphasized.  .

The former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, whom was once a cadet in my school, own one of the biggest farms in the country. While most of his colleagues are busy chasing oil money, he dared to be different by investing in one sector that have been underrated over the years.  As an aspiring entrepreneur in that field (i.e. Agriculture), OBJ is my role model.  I wish I would have worked at his farm during my SIWES programme later this year. I am yearning to discover the secret behind his success story. Anyway, since no man has monopoly of knowledge, I believe I will still learn a lot from the poultry and catfish farm in Lekki where I have been placed.

“What a man can do, a woman can do better” - that is probably one of a lady’s favorite pickup lines whenever she is having a heated debate or conversation with the opposite sex. During farm practice, female students somewhat shun that line. Rather, you will hear them saying stuff like “Please who will be my farm boyfriend?” (laughs). Apart from seed bed preparation, bush clearing and transplanting, ladies perform lighter tasks such as feeding livestock, cleaning the piggery, rabbitry and goat pen, while male students engage in more strenuous jobs such as cutting bamboo trees, construction of farm structures et al. Once upon a time, all the aforementioned were alien to me, now it is like a culture. It took me a while to adapt.  By the way, some of you might be wondering how I manage to juggle school with music. That is a story for another day. 

Performance at YCT!

Why I went M.I.A...

I owe it to my fans to explain why I seemingly went on hiatus. Actually I have been occupied with academics through out the past first quarter of 2013. For the recs, I attend Yaba College of Technology (the same higher institution where popular Nollywood actress Omotola graduated from). I am studying Agricultural Technology and I am also the Vice President of the A.A.T.S ( Association of Agricultural Technology Students) in my school. It is said that with great power, comes great responsibility. Hence, I have been a very busy young man lately; juggling my personal life with school, while serving the interests of my fellow students. Notwithstanding I have been trying to keep up with the social networking age. Yes, I used the phrase "Keep Up" because my case is somewhat similar to a scenario where we have a group of Native Indians in the deep woods gathered around a laptop (laughs). My campus is situated in the out-skirt of the city and far away from the concrete jungle. Thanks to the roar of aeroplanes flying in the sky, which occasionally remind me that I am still in the 21st century. Recently I just completed my first semester exams, now I am back to civilization. It's time to chill and relax and also record new tracks!