Dr. Samson Adeola Odedina, the immediate past Commissioner for Agriculture in Ogun State, has disclosed that his decision to forgo the use of government land for personal farming was a principle established long before his appointment, rooted in his own success as a private commercial farmer.
In an account detailing his agricultural journey, Dr. Odedina revealed that a pivotal moment came in 2007 from his work with international development projects, which provided him with capital he described as “a sum equivalent to 50 years’ salary.” He strategically invested this into securing his own farmland in Abeokuta.
“My search took me to an interior location. As a professional, I considered soil type, vegetation, and topography,” said Odedina, a former Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and Provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure.
He recounted that the landowners were initially astonished that he preferred their remote parcel over more accessible areas. “I explained that farming is about productivity, and the land God gave them was good for farming,” he stated. The transaction was completed on what he termed a “fair deal,” fostering a partnership with the community.
This investment meant that by the time he was appointed Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture in 2018, he was not a novice but an established farmer with thriving crops and livestock, deeply embedded in the local agrarian community.
Dr. Odedina asserted that this practical background proved invaluable in office, providing him with credible, firsthand insight into the challenges and opportunities facing local farmers. More notably, it allowed him to sidestep a potential conflict of interest that he suggests has been common in the past.
“To God’s glory, it’s recorded that, perhaps for the first time, a Commissioner for Agriculture didn’t apply nor was given government land for personal farming,” Odedina noted, emphasizing that he was able to focus “instead on the job.”
His narrative presents a case where prior personal success in a sector enabled a public official to approach his role with a focus on service, free from perceptions of using office for personal gain.
