For years, farming has somewhat been seen as a vocation for the underprivileged or something that only the super-rich can do on a large scale. But now, it appears things have changed and the wind of change is gradually blowing through the entertainment industry, luring celebrities to put the microphone on one side, roll up their sleeves and get prepared to till the soil. Notably, the Federal Government had tried to make people embrace farming, by promising to subsidise fertilizers, but not many people cared. However, now that things are changing very fast and the economy is in a recession, people are finding new ways to augment their income, and this time, celebrities are not left out. Saturday Beats focuses searchlight on some of the Nigerian entertainers who have ventured into agriculture.

D’banj

For Nigeria’s pop music star, D’Banj, he ventured into farming about two years ago and one of the notable products from his stable is his popular Koko garri. In an interview with Saturday Beats, the self-acclaimed Koko master said that he ventured into full scale farming to help fight poverty and encourage many African youths to embrace agriculture as a means of livelihood.

He said, “I engage in agriculture personally to encourage millions of African youths who look up to me as a role model. I need to let them know that unlike the old stereotype of farming which was considered as a form of punishment, modern farming on the contrary, is a cool source of employment for many graduates. Agriculture is life and it is everything that we live for. It is the only way forward for us in Africa. There are so many potentials in it and if we could focus on it, the continent can actually feed the rest of the world.”

  Halima Abubakar

Screen diva Halima Abubakar may look voluptuous but it does not stop her from tilling the soil whenever she is off set. During a chat with Saturday Beats, the delectable actress revealed that she grew up in the farm with a grandmother who attended to her crops daily. She further gave an insight into how her side business has been.

“I went into agriculture because I grew up with a grandmother who was a farmer. About half of my family have plots of lands to their name in Kogi State. I wanted a home where I would have everything at my beck and call so I decided to have a farm with a home where I can go to during the holidays and not lack food or go to the market. We have poultry, vegetables, and everything you can think of in a farm. When it comes to how lucrative the business is, well, you can make a lot of money today and tomorrow you might not make as much money. But one thing is certain; there is a bright future in agriculture especially if you have money to pump into it without waiting for the returns. It is an investment and it would definitely yield money over time. People come to buy turkey from me and once I start selling them, they get sold out within a day. I buy them when they are small and some of them die, sometimes, I lose up to a thousand of them. But I gain a lot from the ones that do not die. You just need a lot of patience; you may lose some money but you would get it back. Even though I am a celebrity, I also participate in my farm work and I have a lot of pictures to prove it, I just don’t post them online. I go there to supervise what is going on,” she said.

Yinka Quadri

Veteran actor, Yinka Quadri, was a year older some weeks back and he has a lot to be thankful for. Not only is he an accomplished actor, he is also a successful farmer who owns a poultry farm in Lagos State. In an interview, the iconic thespian said his reason for going into the business was to give back to the society. He further disclosed that he spent over N7m on the business venture.

He said, “I just felt I should also support my country with what I have, and I thought going into poultry farming will serve that purpose.  It has also been on my mind to use what I am and what I have to benefit mankind and support Nigeria.  So, with that project, I believe if I commit the little I am able to get from my career as a theatre practitioner into poultry, I will be able to generate employment for some unemployed youths.  It is going to benefit a lot of people in different ways. My farm is along Shagamu Road, Ikorodu, Lagos, there is a place designated for poultry farming.  The farm was allocated by the state government for that purpose because as we all know, commercial and large scale poultry can’t be practised in the main town, it has to be at the outskirts, where you will have spacious land.  That’s why I established it at that place.  I have spent about N7m, and I am still spending.”

 Taiwo Hassan

Like his very close pal, Yinka Quadri, Taiwo Hassan fondly referred to as Ogogo, has ventured into farming but their reasons differ. While Quadri is farming because he wants to give back to the society, Hassan has delved into farming because of the adverse effects of pirates’ activities on the film industry. According to the ace thespian, his parents were farmers, so he is embracing farming to augment his source of livelihood.

In an interview with THE Punch, the star actor said that the activities of pirates were becoming unbearable.

“I just can’t be chasing some jobs that are not worth it now. Imagine going to Ibadan now burning fuel of about N30, 000, the producers don’t usually have the fund to pay for my hotel and I will lodge my personal assistants in hotels as well.  I can’t commit to jobs that are not worth it. It is not every job that one gets to do at a certain stage of one’s life. No marketer can finance a movie project with a large amount of money. Imagine releasing a movie in the morning by 9am and by 2pm the pirated copies will be out. So, how do we get our royalties or how does the marketer recoup his investment? “We solely depend on God’s mercy now, and the goodwill of those who love us. Only few have small businesses of their own. As I speak, some actors are being fed by their wives. A big marketer in the industry told me when he wanted to release a Yoruba movie, some Igbo boys in Alaba told him to settle the pirates so they don’t pirate his movie. That is happening in a lawful society. My parents were farmers and I have started the process of going into farming,” Ogogo said.

Eedris Abdulkareem

Eedris Abdulkareem is unarguably one of the pioneers of modern day hip-hop. Even though not much has been heard from him in terms of the music he churns out, the jaga jaga crooner is probably busy in his farmland.

In an interview with Saturday Beats, the rap artiste disclosed that his interest is not only in music but also in agriculture. He explained that he has been in the agriculture business for over a decade.

“By the grace of Almighty Allah, I have been involved in a lot of NGO projects and most importantly, I am a farmer. Since 2001, I have been fully engaged in agricultural activities and have investment in metals. I have a vast land in Kano, where I plant maize and other fruits for export. I have not really revealed this aspect of my life so as not to be distracted. People only see you as a musician and believe that is all you live on. They think my entire life revolves around music. They do not believe one could have other ideas that are sustainable. I am a Northerner. I grew up among people, who encouraged me to invest money I made through music. They believe things may not always remain the same and I heeded their advice. That is why I invested in agro-business. Sometimes, when I travel to Europe to perform, as soon as I finish performing over the weekend, I put on my suit, take my proposal and go to investors and people who will need my crops on Monday morning. These are the things most people don’t even know about me and I wish they don’t know more than what I have let out. But I can’t solely finance the project. We are very positive that by the time we get one ministry to believe in this project and support us, others will follow,” the rap artiste said.