In 2007, eighteen years ago, I worked with certain international development projects and was paid a sum equivalent to 50 years' salary at that time. The amount was staggering.
Prior to this, I'd been farming on land either at my place of work or leased outside the office. I decided to look for land in Abeokuta, Ogun State, to buy and farm, hoping to relocate back home one day. Since farms aren't housing ventures, my search took me to an interior location. As a professional, I considered soil type, vegetation, and topography, hoping issues like road and power would receive divine intervention.
When I approached the landowners, they were astonished that anyone would prefer their location over areas closer to town. I explained that farming is about productivity, and the land God gave them was good for farming. They agreed, and we became partners in progress after a fair deal.
When providence led me to Ogun State in 2018 as Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and later as Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, I was already an established farmer. My crops and livestock were thriving, and I'd become part of the farming and hunting community.
This experience served me well in office. Notably, I didn't seek or receive government land for personal farming – focusing instead on the job. 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.
Success often seems like planning but not really: the fact is, every good gift comes from God. The Rock, perfectly, is thy work!....Dr. Samson Adeola Odedina, Former Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture
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