FIC Report (Oyo State) – The Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission, known as the DAWN Commission, has rallied the Southwest Commodity Farmers Organisations in the Southwest to engender sustainability of food security for the people of the region and the country as a whole.
The rally was hallmarked on Tuesday 13th January, 2026, in a meeting, held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The meeting brought together leaders of various farmers’ associations from the six Southwest States, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo, where discussions were held to explore areas of collaboration and coordinated action.
The DAWN Commission, established by the Southwest states to promote regional integration and collective development, said that the engagement was aimed at harmonising the activities of various agricultural groups operating in the region.
Speaking at the meeting, Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Seye Oyeleye, said that the proposed collaboration would provide a unified platform for agricultural stakeholders to make it easier for governments and development partners to engage farmers more effectively.
According to him, fragmentation among farmer groups in the past had made it difficult to coordinate fruitful agricultural activities, stating, however, that the recent agreements by more than 11 associations to work together have now marked a significant step forward.
“We are not competing with one another,” Oyeleye said. “Our shared goal is self-sufficiency, and achieving food security requires collective effort and teamwork.”
He also disclosed plans for a Farmers’ General Assembly, which, he said, would help stakeholders take informed decisions ahead of the 2026 farming season.
The president of the Southwest Commodity Farmers Organisation, Prince Olusegun Asaolu, who spoke at the event, stressed the importance of dialogue and consensus in driving agricultural growth in the region.
“When progress is the goal, discussion and agreement are unavoidable,” he said, noting that unity among farmers would strengthen advocacy and improve outcomes.
Other stakeholders at the meeting raised concerns over the impact of climate change on farming activities and called for increased government support, particularly in the areas of irrigation and access to modern farming inputs.
Farmer leaders from Osun and Lagos states, Otunba Gabriel Ogunsanya and Mrs. Omotayo Ajoba, both said that the continued reliance on outdated farming methods was discouraging youth participation in agriculture.
Asaolu noted that the Southwest was endowed with earth dams and hosts River Basin Authorities, urging governments in the region to fully develop these resources to support year-round farming.
“Our governments need to harness these existing facilities and work closely with farmers, as is being done successfully in other regions,” he said.
Ogunsanya called for urgent government intervention in providing modern agricultural inputs and irrigation systems, while Ajoba emphasised that irrigation had become essential for farming success in the face of changing climate conditions.
Signed
Blessing Oluwadamilola Ajayi (Miss Ajayi is a Corp member serving at FIC, Ibadan).
Edited by Moses Oyelade,
AD(I&PR), FIC, Ibadan.
