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By Chinyere Anyanwu
To bridge the knowledge and skilled manpower gaps in the country’s agricultural sector, the Origin Tech Group (OTG) has trained and graduated 11 youths through its training programme, Origin Eagle.
During the Origin Eagle4 Cohorts Graduation and Recognition Ceremony in Lagos on Sunday, March 8, the Origin Group Executive Director, Samuel Johnson Samuel, commended the graduands for submitting themselves to the rigorous one year training process.
Speaking on the vision that birthed the training programme, which is heading towards its fifth edition, the Origin Group executive chairman said it was informed by the need to tackle several challenges encountered by his organisation in the course of its operation in the agriculture sector.
According to him, “this idea came in 2012 after we had suffered several ups and downs and challenges. The biggest was finding resources, finding young talents. The second was transferring knowledge and skill. The third was raising future leaders in this sector? The fourth was raising the interest of young people in agriculture as more of them prefer to go into entertainment.
“And then how agriculture has been marked out as a sector that is not profitable, as a sector that has no future and as a hard line. But agriculture is very profitable. Agriculture is the largest sector of all the sectors in the world. Food is number one and agriculture produces everything we use. So we embarked on this journey.”
He added that the programme has exposed the interns, especially the first set, to travels to China and other parts of the world.
“Our intention is very clear; to raise awareness and to let them know that you can do agribusiness and do it well and succeed. We have been consistent in our efforts to try to develop the Nigerian food system, the result of which you are seeing here today,” Samuel said.
Lamenting the dearth of in-depth agricultural education in Nigeria’s agriculture training institutions, Samuel noted that, “Nigeria currently holds over 600,000 agriculture students at different agriculture institutions. Some of them went through the schools and never saw a tractor. Some of them went through the schools and never saw a crop being planted and harvested. Some of them went through the schools and never saw major agricultural implement and equipment all through their school days.
These were some of the motivations that compelled us to act. This act is in providing ourselves as a platform that other students can come in and learn from us.”
Speaking on efforts his organisation has made to encourage agriculture institutions in the country, the Origin Group executive chairman explained that, “in 2012, the Origin Group endowed a chair in three universities. The universities include FUNAB, University of Ilorin, and the University of Ado-Ekiti. We gave them greenhouses, we gave them tractors, and we also funded a programme, just to support us at the time we were starting the internship.”
Admonishing the graduands to give their best to Nigeria and the world as the best has been given to them, Samuel said, “we have kept our promise to raise future leaders; our promise to plug the gap that is in the sector; and our promise to transfer knowledge. What we have, we bring into the young future generation. And we are happy that we have come to the graduation ceremony of another team of Origin Eagles. We are waiting to see and feel your impact. Origin Group will continue to provide a platform for you.”
In his congratulatory speech to the graduands, the Origin Group Vice Chairman, Olakunle Ball, commended them for their resilience in pursuing the training and encouraged them to utilise the knowledge and skills gained optimally.
Speaking on behalf of the graduands, Miracle Balogun appreciated the Origin Group for affording them the opportunity that has equipped them with the knowledge and skills they need to build their careers. He equally appreciated their tutors for their selfless dedication to ensuring that the graduands achieved the purpose of their embarking on the training programme.
Balogun said, “a year ago, we began this journey with hopes of learning and growing. Today, we are proud of how much we achieved. This programme has given us valuable technical knowledge, practical experience, and progress that have prepared us for real-life engineering challenges.
“Beyond the technical training, we learned discipline, teamwork, communication, responsibility, and the importance of excellence in everything we do. On behalf of myself and my fellow interns, I sincerely appreciate the organisers, supervisors, mentors, and the executive chairman who guided us throughout this journey. Your support and patience have made a lasting impact on our professional development and our career.”
