Ekiti Young People Hail ‘Bring Back Youths To Agriculture’ Programme

By Joseph Sunday

A cross section of young people in Ekiti State has hailed the ‘Bring Back Youths To Agriculture’ programme carried out in the State, which has added immeasurable value to their lives and lifted them out of poverty. 

The Bring Back Youths to Agriculture (BBYA) initiative, focuses, training young entrepreneurs in agribusiness and generating profits from crop, with the aim of boosting youth employment and food security in the state. 

The youths, who spoke separately with journalists in Ado Ekiti, including Temitope Fakolade, Funmilayo Akomolafe and Johnson Oladimeji confirmed that since the introduction of the initiative by YSJ in partnership with the Ekiti State Government, their lives have not remained the same.

According to the youths who came from across the councils of the state, the programme not only changed their financial stories but also opened their eyes to the great opportunities in agribusiness.

Reacting to a recent agitation by some youths who claimed they did not get commensurate benefits, the participants confirmed that those set of beneficiaries were those who showed truancy and less commitment to the programme because they believed it was free money. 

They confirmed that all their benefits were given to them in accordance with the profit made as contained in the terms and conditions for the programme, saying they got between four hundred thousand Naira to one point five million Naira per participant after the 2025 farming season.

Also, the General Manager, of YSJ Farms Limited,  Rotimi Omole  denied the allegation that some youths who registered for the scheme did not get their benefits.

Omole  described the allegation as misleading, false and distortion of the programme’s structure and operations.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Omole said that the programme was established to address spiralling youths unemployment, and encourage sustainable participation in agribusiness and not for exploitation.

The manager clarified that the sum of N100,000 paid last year by the participants who pioneered the scheme during its take-off phase in 2024 was a commitment fee approved by the management of the YSJ Farms to ensure seriousness, and long-term commitment from pioneer participants who voluntarily enrolled at the formative stage of the Bring Back the Youths in Agriculture initiative.

He stressed that new participants were never required to pay any commitment fee, maintaining that participation in the programme is free of charge for the new intakes.

Omole noted that the commitment fee was limited to the pioneer participants alone and should not be misconstrued as a recurring charge or a means of exploitation.

The manager explained that every money disbursed were sent to group leaders of each cluster and were shared among themselves based on commitment adding that the few youths who did not get the expected payment like their counterparts were those who failed to show commitment to the scheme.