Babban Gona and Our Big Problems

Babban Gona (BG) is trying to solve the problem of: Youth unemployment, and the trapped poverty level amongst small-scale farmers in Nigeria. These problems exists as a result of the increasing number of graduates churned out yearly into the Nigerian workforce, and also the financial incapability of small-scale farmers to afford improved seedlings and fertilizers for their farmlands, farm tools, storage and processing facilities. As a result, Food production is low likewise their return on investment. BG is addressing these problems by providing professional service and investment to scale to small-scale farmers. In turn, these farmers are to provide employment opportunities to the unemployed youth in their communities.

For the past few years, there has been an annual increase in the number of unemployed youths in Nigeria. This has led to an increase in various vices at different level; the most popular being cyber-crimes. Unemployed youths have become tools in the hands of extremist, used to carry out illegal activities in the bid to meet end means. This has made the country experience crisis (Niger Delta crisis, Jos Crisis, Boko Haram, and Herdsmen attack amongst other in the past few years) which were all headed by the unemployed youth; mobilized and sponsored by extremist. If this problem of unemployment is not tackled, a further increment of insurgencies in the nation will be inevitable as more number of graduates will joins the labor force. In the same vein, if small-scale farmers are not provided with the right tools and resources into becoming commercially sustainable, these farmers may no longer tend to farm, as they will look for other source of income to meet their needs. This will bring about a large increase in the importation of farm produce into the country, and will further cause a deficit Balance of Trade (BOT) which will be unfavorable for the Nigerian economy.

The aforementioned has become a problem to the individuals (unemployed youths), society and the country as a whole. The affected individuals have turned to illegal means of surviving, an example would be cyber-crime, while others out of depression have turned to the bottles and hard substance as a means of relieving their sorrow, and in some cases to carryout illicit activities. Some have fallen victims of the propaganda of extremist in the bid to earn a means of livelihood. Societies have been made to suffer the misfortune of these vibrant and energetic unemployed youth as the societal occupants feel insecure in their abode as crime rate is on the rise. One of which is as a result of youth unemployment, others as a result of communal crises led by these youths.

The Nigerian economy was formerly one of the highest Agricultural exporting countries in the world, but today china and United States takes the lead all because of the incapability of poor farmers in becoming commercially sustainable. Also, the insurgencies experienced in the past few years caused by unemployed youth has brought about a negative effect on economic development of the country.