Pa Israel Akinsulure, chairman of Water Works Farmers’ Association, Oke
Aro, Ogun State, says that all stakeholders in the management of
agriculture must be honest in their activities to enhance official efforts at
increasing food production and achieving food security. He spoke with
Idowu Michael, our correspondent recently.
Q: What are the Challenges you are facing as the Chairman of Lagos
Waterworks Farmers’ Association?
A: To be a chairman of any association is not easy, when you are trying to
work, (some of) your followers may not be there for you. It’s just like when
you help a friend, and the same friend can be the one that will do you in at
the end of the day. I can tell you, just like any other association, some of
the farmers are dubious, they are not straight forward. Sometimes you
entrust money to someone, thinking the money is safe, you are deceiving
yourself, because that person you think is reliable may not be that reliable.
I can tell you, just like any other association, some of the farmers are
dubious, they are not straight forward.
Q: You have been chairman for how many years now?
A: It is four years, this year.
Q: That means you took the baton in Year 2021?
A: No, I came in year 2020, we have had chairmen before I came in, I am
either 5th or 6th.
Q: So, you are running your second term?
A: When I got in here, I mean when I was elected, the information we heard
was for 6 years, and the farmers were in three groups, and were having
their meetings accordingly, but the authorities of Lagos State Water Works,
our landlord, were not comfortable with this uncontrollable arrangement.
That was why they merged the three groups, and I was made the
Chairman.
Q: Are you saying it was the government that brought the three groups
together not the farmers?
A: Technically, yes. It was the overall Chief Security Officer of Water Works
that brought the groups together. This, they said, was done to bring sanity
to the management of the farmers and to make it easy for them (Water
Works) to monitor their (farmers) activities within their facility.
Now that we are together, we are trying to have a constitution, which has
never been in existence. Through this, we will be able to know the number
of offices/ officers, their tenure and some other things.
Q: But you said you have been in this position since 2020, how did you get
there, with all that happened and the story you have just told?
A: It was the Chief Security Officer that nominated me in the presence of all
other farmers.
The event that led to my being chosen went like this and was very funny:
there was information from the Authority of Water Works, that Lagos State
Ministry of Agriculture was about giving subsidised palliatives to farmers.
Armed with this information, we collated all the names of our members, we
even went as far as including their family members, believing that having a
large number will help in the quantity of palliatives that will be released by
the government.
But, surprisingly, by the time we met with the authorities of Water Works,
they informed us that we will be paying water charges!
Q: Palliatives and Water Charges; any connection?
A: No connection, it was the trick used by the Chief Security Officer to bring
all the farmers, (who are members) of the three groups operating on their
facility, together for a meeting, which resulted in the merger and eventual
nomination of my good self as the Chairman for all the farmers, within their
facility.
Their General Manager later came from Ijora, Lagos State, their head
office, to ratify my being so nominated as the Chairman.
Pa Israel Akinsulure
Q: How many Executive members do you have?
A: I told you earlier, that we are just working on our constitution, apart from
myself as the Chairman, we have Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Chief
Whip and Auditor. In the management of the farmers, I rely more on
Council of Elders. When we came in, there were no files that will show us
the history and the way forward. What I did with other members was to
bring the elders and the officers I mentioned earlier together for ease of
management. We tagged it ‘the ruling council’. This has been helpful in so
many ways since we started.
When we have challenges, as we are won’t to, we call on the Ruling
council to help out. For example, boundary disputes between two or more
farmers or have them to ruminate on government instructions and
information.
Many of these elders have been around for some time and they have
knowledge of what to do, and they have helped so well.
Q: Have you been able to form a Cooperative Since you came in?
A: We are trying to put one together now, but personally, I don’t believe in
cooperatives, (in some cases) people are not sincere, some, who
champion these cooperatives are not sincere, they do so in order to steal
money from people. I told you earlier that I am a retired officer from Lagos
State Ministry of Agriculture. What I am saying is some of these
cooperatives do not end well.
When I was in the service, my office was nearer to that of Cooperatives.
The story you hear from that office nearly every day is the story of
members of cooperatives from various companies who came to report their
officials for one case of corruption or the other.
Q: Sir, from our personal discussions in recent times, you said someone
stole from your Association. How did this come about?
A: Though, the person involved is our member, he is not our financial
Secretary nor Treasurer, like I told you, we operate ruling council, whenever
we have anything doing and we look at you and we think you can deliver,
we give you the assignment. That was what happened in this case. At
times too, we commission committees for ease of accomplishing various
tasks and assignments.
Q: How was the fraud perpetrated?
A: When we heard that the government was planning to give us subsidized
palliatives, we set up a committee to look into its advantage, they gave us
go ahead and this individual was chosen to collect money from members
for the purpose. When the palliatives were ready, we asked the Chairman
of the committee to release money for the purpose, that was the time the
bubble burst.
When the palliatives (from the government) were ready, we asked the
Chairman of the committee (appointed to collect money for it from the
farmers) to release money for the purpose, that was the time the
bubble burst.
Q: You mean the man who collected money from members for the
palliatives could not give account of the money?
A: Exactly, Since then, we have not been able to get the money from him,
though, we have taken legal action.
Q: Legal action?
A: Yes, the first thing we did was to get him arrested by the police. After
some days in detention, he was charged to court.
Q: Are you sure you will be able to recover all that he defrauded the
Association?
A: Definitely! One, all the facts are there, the amount he collected and from
all the farmers he collected the money from.
Q: How much is the Money?
A: Over one million naira.
Q: So, what is your expectation from the court?
A: If found guilty, appreciable punishment should be meted out to him.
In all these, our landlord is aware, I mean Water Works. Initially, when we
informed them, he was invited for questioning, but they couldn’t settle the
case within.
Q: You will agree with me that corruption is now rampart, it is nearly
everywhere?
A: Yes, you are right, the Bible says, when the foundation is faulty, what
can the righteous do? What is happening is not in isolation, look at our
government, I mean all the tiers, what you read daily cases of corruption.
Hardly can you see any organization devoid of it.
Q: We had occasions where farm implements were released by the
government but couldn't get to the farmers, what is your take on this?
A: What I can tell you is this, the government officials in the Northern part of
the country are trying, at least from what we read and what we hear.
My brother, the story down South here is slightly different, when
government asks its officials to give farm implements to farmers, some of
them convert them to their own use or sell them at exorbitant prices.
Government officials in the Northern part of the country are trying, at
least from what we read and what we hear. My brother, the story
down South here is slightly different, when government asks its
officials to give farm implements to farmers, some of them convert
them to their own use or sell them at exorbitant prices.
Q: From your position, do you have any advice for government?
A: My advice is that all of us should fear God, because character matters in
everything we do and anywhere we find ourselves. Look at the story of
Joseph in the Bible. We need to fear God always. Good name is better
than riches.
