On the penultimate weekend, I drove through Western Nigeria—from Osogbo through Owode-Ede, Ode-Omu, Gbongan, Ikire, and the dozens of villages in between. I realised there is something eerily disturbing about agricultural practice and the changing structures of the economies in many of the villages and towns I visited.
Whenever I embark on road trips, I often stop midway between villages to feel the pulse of the people, buy from and interact with (agric) produce suppliers and off-takers, observe the structure of the local economy, and pick important lessons where necessary. Last week was no exception, and the lessons are as poignant as they appear somewhat worrisome.
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From the trip, just as in my movements across Western Nigeria on finance/business and economy reporting duties in recent years, two things became quite noticeable:
First, young people are increasingly playing a negligible, almost non-existent role in the agricultural value chain in our towns and villages, even in the heavily agrarian ones.
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Alternatively, in many of these communities, young people (that haven’t Japa-d to the city, anyway) have created an “economy” that operates mostly like an Island, far-detached from the soul of the traditional (“orthodox”) economy——which ideally feeds into, or draws breath from, agricultural produce and practices.
Think nightclubs. Think gamble spots. Think internet scam and the burgeoning O.S (Not “Operating System” o!) ecosystem. Think lounges. Think beer parlours. Think of all things carnal, reckless, or greed-driven, like Yahoo Plus and CBEX. A vibrant, bubbling “economy” powered entirely with illicit money, sex, and alcohol, from Lalupon through Ile-Ogbo, from Iragbiji through Offa and Erin-Ile.
And so, from Ikirun through to the smallest hamlet along the Osogbo-Gbongan road, young ones are running away from the farms (and from apprenticeship) in search of quick money. But it’s not even an Osun thing, anyway. It’s the same everywhere I have gone to understand the changing structures of rural economies and the underlying drivers of food inflation (insecurity, rural-urban migration, declining interest in agric practices) across Yorubaland-Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti, all the way to Kwara.
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In effect, the wild popularity—— and eventual collapse—— of CBEX among young “investors” isn’t that difficult to diagnose, especially in Western Nigeria.
The downside is that we are missing out even in areas where we should tap into young people’s energy, education, and travel experience/insights to develop expertise in mechanised, innovative farming practices for abundant food and wealth creation. Instead, we have a culture of young folks desperate to gather quick wealth without enterprise. I noticed how this played out, subtly, in the recent surge in Cocoa prices, but that’s a story for another time.
In its last report for March 2025, the NBS said food inflation on a year-on-year basis was highest in Oyo (34.41%), Southern Nigeria’s largest state with a landmass of 28,454 square kilometres and a heavy agrarian population (in Oyo North). Interestingly, Oyo is one of the few states in the country that can boast of relatively substantial investment in agriculture and food production, even though there are challenges.
The underlying factors are structural, and we all share some of the blame—from a do-nothing government to fawning community leaders and everyone in between.
READ ALSO: Bauchi women farmers decry low budgetary allocation to agriculture
But I am particularly worried about the changing structure of the “rural economies” in Western Nigeria, and how a culture of “K’emi sha ti l’owo”(Getting rich by whywvr means)—as trumpeted by 9ice and his disciples—-drives everyone through this pathway to collective doom, while we all look away.
The results are here already—food inflation/insecurity, scam/fraud, glorification and wild popularity of Ponzi schemes, poor innovation in agricultural practices, etc.
We need a systemic reset, especially in Western Nigeria, which is also urgent.
Tick… tock.
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Oladeinde Olawoyin is the Business Editor of Premium Times.
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