…..as CFAN sets agenda for Tinubu
By: Oluwatosin Adesola
Comrade Adeola Adegoke, has been reelected as the National President of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), after impressive performance during his first term in office.
During the National Delegates’ Conference of the association held at its National Secretariat in Akure, CFAN 18 delegates from cocoa producing states unanimously voted for Adeola unopposed while his other national officers were also voted into office unopposed.
The new National Executive members of the association that will pilot the affairs of the association are; Adeola Adegoke, National President Ondo State); Deputy President, Olagunju Aina (Kwara State); National Secretary Agbor Bassey (Cross Rivers); Elube Ogigbo Joel, National Treasurer (Ogun state); Oloyede Ezekiel, Financial Secretary (Kwara State); the Public Relations Officer, PRO, Makanjuola Akinyele (Ekiti State); and Organising Secretary, Sarafat Olayemi (Oyo State).
Others are; Auditor 2, Kazeem Tijani (Edo State); Assistant Secretary Ayeni Iyabo (Ondo State); Assistant Financial Secretary, Raji Sarafa Ariyo (Oyo State); Assistant Organising Secretary, Uche Mmeregini (Abia State) while Raji Akanni from Osun state was elected as Auditor 1.
In an Acceptance Speech, Comrade Adeola Adegoke, the reelected National President of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) an umbrella body for small-scale cocoa farmers that constitute over 90 per cent of cocoa stakeholders and owners of farms in Nigeria, called on the incoming administration of Bola Tinubu to give top priority to policies that would improve cocoa industry in the country like late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo did in the old western region.
Adegoke said the association, would reject any attempt to bring total deregulation of the cocoa economy.
The CFAN President noted that total deregulation of the cocoa industry led to cheating of farmers, low productivity and production of poor quality cocoa beans.
Adegoke said cocoa farmers expected a lot from the administration of Tinubu but said they would work with the administration to bring about regulations.
He explained that they would push for the establishment of a Board that would not be involved in buying cocoa but would ensure farmers were provided with necessary input and develop cocoa industry.
He said; “We have seen that we don’t have better sustainable practices and we have seen that the focus of commitment to grow cocoa economy in the most cocoa producing states are no longer there again.
“We have seen the government non challant attitude both at the federal and state governments level, many of us as farmers cannot go to farm again.
“So we are going to push for a board that will start developing cocoa, which will brings policies that will make sure that the farmers are provided with the necessary inputs that can bring Nigeria back.
“The agenda of this association in the next two to three years is for us to be the highest cocoa produce in the world and to increase our productivity.
“We will work with the government to make sure that the National Cocoa Management put in place the enabling environment that will spur the regulations on the development of the cocoa economy which will bring back more investment in the sectors.”
Major cocoa-producing states in Nigeria are Ondo, Cross River, Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, Delta, Osun and Oyo.
Others are Kwara, Nasarawa, Taraba, Zamfara, Kogi and Benue states.
