Ayo Otedola: Raising the Bar of Farming
Long before words like “oil and gas”, “upstream” and “downstream”, “IT”, and “yahoo” came into Nigerian literature and language, farming was the mainstay. A young man of 18 was generally expected to be a practiced farmhand, and a young woman of corresponding age would already have mastered the art of managing the farm, never failing to motivate her husband into action, bringing home basic and excess farm produce, and living happily ever after.
That dynamic has evolved in recent times, with computers and whatnot. But the agricultural produce – the meat and milk of domestic life – have refused to give way before gadgets. And so, a peculiar rift has developed between producers of food via farming and folks oblivious to the inner workings of farming.
That might soon be changing with the marvel that is Ayo Otedola, who is not only blood brother of corporate and investment genius, Femi Otedola, but also his comrade in business prescience and acumen.
While Mr. Femi Otedola has been recognised as a general fingers-in-every-pie kind of guy, his elder brother, Mr. Ayo Otedola has established himself in more traditional outfits: farming. Even more, the man has brilliantly integrated different forms and aspects of farming, aptly naming the resulting firm, Otedola Integrated Farm.
It has been reported that the farm, which is located in Epe, Lagos State, combined the cardinal excellences of crop production, cattle rearing, goat herding, and aquaculture, to mention a few. More interestingly, these arrays of husbandry have been woven so seamlessly into one another that the farm is like one giant pie, with sections flavoured differently.
Meanwhile, technology is also striding its own horse. With farm records properly computerised, the farm has crossed the threshold of traditional agronomy and ranching into a corporate enterprise. What is perhaps most astounding – and welcome – is that folks are still at the helm of affairs, with information technology (IT) in the supportive role.
In recent time, the farm has earned the limelight of one or three news stations, all of which have publicised the revolutionary trend that Ayo Otedola has brought to bear.
No more casting of farming in the light of hoes and cutlasses, or a garden of peppers, or a compound with animal leavings here and there. Ayo Otedola has raised the bar, integrating the traditional characters of farming, while also incorporating into the mix trends of the new age.