“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending – C.S LEWIS”
Five and half years ago, in my hotel room in Enugu, precisely Neo-Court Hotel, a hotel owned by a dear friend of mine, Architect Ogbo Oradubanya. I started what I would today call Soul Searching.
My mind went back to my days at the Nigerian Law School remembering our then wonderful DIRECTOR GENERAL, late Chief Babatunde Abiodun Ibironke, who would always remind us that every Lawyer is a Social Engineer and Change Agent!
As I lay on my bed thinking of how best I could use my legal knowledge and experience to improve my society, I recalled a story I was told by my late uncle and music ICON Nze Dan Orji of the Peacocks international fame and acclaimed composer of “EDDIE QUANSA”– the very melodic and popular theme music for “MASQUERADE”– one of NTA’S most successful drama series.
According to my uncle, some preachers came to preach to a man in my community in the presence of his household. In the course of the preaching, mention was made about mansions in heaven which the man literarily understood to mean that there was a physical house for him in heaven. When the leader and his team were set to depart, the man glowing with joy and speaking sonorously in impeccable owerri dialect inquired innocently if there will be a possibility of putting tenants in his own mansion and remitting the rent for the economic survival of him and his household right here on earth, that whenever he gets to heaven he will give quit notice to the tenants.
The baffled preacher realizing that he didn’t do a good job, had to spend additional time in breaking down the message with full deployment of owerri dialect to the eventual understanding of the man”.
This story which became to me some kind of metaphor for the realities of life and living for most Nigerians, fired up something in me that night, thus the commencement of the articulation of my thoughts which engendered the beginning of a journey clearly inspired by God.
I have always believed that there is a reason and purpose God Almighty brought us here – if he wanted us first in heaven he would have sent us there directly. Making us in his own Image and Likeness, presupposes that we should be able to recreate things around us for the betterment of the society.
These and other factors made me more determined to attempt the creation of a solution that cleverly seek to touch the significant facets of our well-being as a nation.
After five and half years of brainstorming, thinking of ideas that are innovative, toiling, trials, failures, frustrations and breakthroughs; with approximately 9800 hectares of land ready for cultivation, a robust operations software fully ready for deployment, financial commitment of 47 discerning investors and an overwhelming endorsement of CBN and other development institutions, I am proud to say a big welcome to THE ULTIMATE GAME CHANGER… THE DISRUPTIVE BIG IDEAS PROGRAMME – HECTARE BY HECTARE… THE TIME IS NOW.
WHAT IS THE PROGRAMME ALL ABOUT!
The Hectare by Hectare programme is a unique and innovative agricultural initiative conceptualized and developed for the promotion of employment, wealth redistribution, financial inclusion, general public awareness and value re-orientation through agribusiness.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
With the aid of 11 prototype fit for purpose agreements, “The Green Book”, Hectare By Hectare Operation Software and Hectare By Hectare Accounting software, the objectives of the programme are as follows:
- To create unique avenues for all adult Nigerians to partake in the revitalization and realization of the nation’s urgent need for food security
- To promote wealth creation through agribusiness.
- To promote employment.
- To promote wealth redistribution and financial inclusion.
- To provide end to end solutions for all types of transactions within the agricultural value chain.
- To provide a platform for general public awareness.
- To promote the culture of volunteering among Nigerian citizens
- To provide a platform for general public awareness and value re-orientation.
By virtue of a license acquired from the intellectual property owner/licensor by Adasomi Development Company, the programme is being promoted by the company in collaboration with other members of Adasomi Consortium in accordance with policies and guidelines contained in the manual of concept, policies and guidelines called the “Green Book” already registered with Nigerian copyright commission.
Under the four schemes of the programme, namely; Adasomi Farm Estates Scheme, Adasomi Out-Growers Scheme, Adasomi Premium Discount Scheme, Adasomi Food Courts Scheme.
FARM ESTATES are developed across the country through our unique Hectare By Hectare crowd funding model that enables us to aggregate the investments of Proxy Farmers (Civil Servants and all other adult Nigerians not directly involved in farming).
FOOD COURTS are developed across the country in partnership with Value Partners.
FOOD VENDORS are registered and given easy access to conducive real estate to carry on their trade.
OUT-GROWERS are registered and given technical support and easy access to market for their harvest.
FARM TO HOME AGENTS (Mostly unemployed youths) are through the use of our HBH operation software given access to participate in the production and distribution of food and agricultural produce within and outside the country without running around.
With their capital contributions and low interest bearing loans, these farm to home agents also operate and earn income by playing any, some or all the following roles; Distributors of Fertilizers, Pesticides and other Farm inputs by participating in bids on the Hectare By Hectare Bids Management Platform for numerous Supply Contracts created under the programme.
We are helping to reduce unemployment by leveraging on technology to connect these Farm to Home Agents to food production and distribution nationwide as well as distribution of other agricultural inputs. It means that thousands of young Nigerians can participate in agribusiness, and earn sustainable income no matter where they are once they have smart phones. This is a clear strategy for Wealth Redistribution and Financial Inclusion.
As compensation for the access to economic empowerment granted to them, Farm to Home Agents (mostly unemployed youths),with the aid of learning materials developed under the programme are required to act as Awareness Volunteers and Change Agents under the Hectare by Hectare Volunteering Scheme.
Under the scheme, these volunteers are involved in Organizing Seminars and Town Hall Meetings within their given communities to create general public awareness on the following areas: Basic Legal Education, Civic Education, Voters Education, Financial Literacy, Basic Health Education and Value Re-Orientation.
They also engage in other volunteering services such as Tree Planting, Road Maintenance, Maintenance of Common Community Assets, Agricultural Extension Services, Environmental Protection and Community Policing.
The programme is designed to be implemented nationwide through a Franchising Model that entails the appointment of one franchisee for each state of the federation. When fully operational, the programme has the potential of engaging a minimum of 200,000 persons per state.
SOME SPECIAL BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAMME TO PARTICIPANTS
- It provides easy access to land for participants.
- It provides easy access to capital for participants.
- It provides easy access to technical support for participants.
- It provides easy access to market for participants.
- It provides easy access to secured investment for participants.
SOME GENERAL BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAMME TO THE COUNTRY
- Boost in employment and reduction in crime.
- De-risking of the Agricultural value chain.
- Increase in general public awareness and value re-orientation.
- Financial security for rural participants due to monthly inflow of funds.
- Wealth Redistribution, Financial inclusion and Poverty reduction.
- Increase in Agricultural investment and food production.
- Boost in internally generated revenue for every participating local government and state.
ORJI .H. CHIJIOKE, IS AN ABUJA BASED LEGAL PRACTITIONER, NOTARY PUBLIC AND SOCIAL ENGINEER
