Emmanuel Moses participated in the one year modern and sustainable agricultural at the Leventis Foundation Nigeria Agricultural Training School, Tumu, Gombe in 2017.
After graduating from the school, he started a livestock agribusiness in cattle and poultry farming. Before gaining admission into the training school school, Emmanuel was formerly a student in the department of Management and Research Development at the Kaduna State University.
He said he regarded himself as a consumer prior to receiving the training but now he is a processor and as a result became an employer of labour. So far, he has been able to replicate the training received by training 2 women, a youth group and also ventured into consultancy services. In addition, he stated that so far he has 1/2 Hectare of soybean, 1/2 hectare of maize, production of feeds, tomato processing, body cream production and production of organic manure.
Finally, in 5 years, he has become a major employer of labour and a successful agripreneur.
Abubakar Usman participated in the one year modern and sustainable agricultural training at the Leventis Foundation Nigeria Agricultural Training School, Panda, Kano State in 2006. Upon graduated, he was a beneficiary of the Micro Credit Scheme which he used to acquire land and start-up a poultry farm.
Over the year, Abubakar has grown his poultry business and presently has over 5000 layers. He is also involves in breeding processes with workforce of over 20 staff.
Abubakar, through revenue generated from his business has sponsored himself through National Diploma, Higher National Diploma, became a member of a professional society, post-graduate diploma, masters degree and presently in a research programme at PhD level.
He is grateful for the opportunity he received from the Leventis Family through the Foundation not to only becoming a successful entrepreneur but also a better person academically.
Samson Pedro graduated from the Leventis Foundation Nigeria Agricultural Training School, Dogon Dawa, Kaduna State in 2010. Upon graduation, he ventured in Broiler and Layer production on a small-scale. At the moment, his farm business has grown sporadically with over 10,000 birds and over 50 acres of Orchard (Palm Tree).
His business is registered with the Cooperate Affairs Commission with the name Superior Farm Limited.
He is graduate for the opportunity Leventis Foundation Nigeria gave him that has transformed his life and also made him an employer of labour.
Shola Ige is an Ex-Trainee of the Leventis Foundation Agricultural Training School, Ilesa, Osun State. He participated in the one year modern and sustainable agricultural training in the year 1990. He was formerly a casual staff with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for gaining admission to the school.
On completion of the one year training, he started a vegetable farm with N3,000 seed money he saved from the monthly stipend given in the course of the training. Presently, Shola Ige has over 50 permanent workers and over 1000 casual workers on his farm. He registered with National Agricultural Seed Society and presently has a registered Agricultural Seed Company in Osun State.
He thanked Leventis Foundation Nigeria for the opportunity given to him and encourages the Trainees to be fair in all their dealings.
Afolabi is a native of Ikirun, Ilesa in Osun State. He is popularly known as with his twin brother as “TWO BOYS”. A 32 year old farmer from a poor background who started making earning for his livelihood doing menial jobs as a block making as a result of father’s inability to send him and brother to school. He said in his father’s words “The two of you should decide which one is to go for Higher Learning”.
Afolabi got admission into the one year modern and sustainable training programe at the Leventis Foundation Agricultural Training School, Ilesa, Osun State in 2006 and after he graduated started with the dry season vegetable farming with N 3380 (Three thousand, three hundred and eighty naira only) and hulking of poultry products.
He applied for the Micro-credit from the Foundation and ventured into Fishery, Cassava farming and production of poultry inputs. Over the years, Afolabi went from nothing to becoming a millionaire. He presently has over 12 Hectares of cassava farm, 8 hectares of cocoa farm, 12 hectares of maize farm and poultry with capacity of over 12,000 birds. He has a registered farm called TWO BOYS, a house of his own and cars.
He appreciates Leventis Foundation Nigeria for the training which transformed his life.
Nura Ahmed is an indigene of Laraba Zango, Ajingi Local Government Area of Kano State. He attended a Quranic school where he learnt the art of farming in the local way. Nura also had primary and senior secondary education. Although, his parents are not farmers but engaged in farming, cultivating one (1) hectare crops (sorghum, millet, cowpea and groundnut) and rearing two (2) herds of cattle using hired labour. Nura Ahmed and his younger ones participated in farming with the hired labour on his familys farm. From there, he developed much interest in farming before undergoing one (1) year training in modern farming at the Leventis Foundation Agricultural Training School.
The Leventis Foundation/Kano State Agricultural Training School offered Nura Ahmed a one-year free training in modern farming in the areas of Crop Production, Rural Enterprises, Animal Production, and Agricultural Engineering. After graduation, Nura Ahmed acquired knowledge and skills in the above areas and started his own farm. With a take-home pay of N15,475.00 (Fifteen Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventy-Five Naira) only, and Kano State grant of N20,000.00 (Twenty Thousand Naira) only, totalling N35, 475.00 (Thirty-Five Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventy-Five Naira) only, he was able to cultivate one (1) acre of groundnut and rear two (2) goats.
Gradually, he increased his cultivation to several hectares of crops, such as sorghum, millet, groundnut, cowpea and zobo, having benefited a lot from LFN Micro-credit which has been fully paid. Today, Nura Ahmed cultivates between 4-5ha of crops. The animals being reared have also increased, having six (6) goats and two (2) bulls presently. The ex-trainee has made some life achievements following the agricultural training at Panda school and proceeds from his farming activities. These include:
• built his own residential house, and
• bought a Gulf car.
The net-worth of the ex-trainee based on the above mentioned assets will be in the range of N2.5M to N5M.
Nura Ahmed is proud of Leventis Foundation for the free training offered. This has made him a better person in his community. The ex-trainee wants the Foundation to continue training more youths.
Ibrahim Shehu hails from Dogon Dawa in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. He graduated in 2001 from Leventis Foundation School; Dogon Dawa where he enrolled in immediately after secondary school. He is now a successful farmer, a business man and adjudged to be the richest man in Dogon Dawa today. His farm is located about 2km from Leventis Foundation School training farm and also about 3km from Birnin Gwari. He has 20 hectares of farmland where he cultivates 4 major crops in successive rotation. These are maize, sorghum, groundnut and soyabeans. He is popularly called Alhaji by most people in and out of his hometown, Dogon Dawa because of his sojourn to Saudi Arabia. He lives in his apartment with his wives and children and has another building under construction. He owns the biggest provision store in Dogon Dawa town and has two (2) Lorries, a personal car, a tractor and a threshing machine. More than fifty (50) labourers and other employees are currently working for him. His comment of Leventis Foundation School, am practicing what I learnt and the impact is seen in me, I share the knowledge I acquired from the Foundation with my people, they use them and also testify to the good works of God through A.G Leventis.
Musa Tukur of Zuga village in Takai Local Government of Kano State was born into a farming family. He had primary and Teachers training education before undergoing Agricultural training at Leventis Foundation/Kano State Agricultural School, Panda.
Initially, he was engaged in farming activities with his parents, after which he started cultivating 1 hectare of Sorghum and Groundnut using local methods. In the year 1998, Musa Tukur had a training in Modern Agriculture at Leventis Foundation/Kano State Agricultural Training School, Panda. During the training, he acquired good skills in Crop Production, which include:
• The use of improved seed varieties and agro-chemicals
• Methods of fertilizer application
• Crop spacing,
• Animal husbandry etc.
After graduation from Leventis Agricultural Training School, kano, he increased his crop hectare of Millet, Sorghum, Groundnut and Cowpea, using modern farming practices. Today, he cultivates between 3-4 hectares of the crops and also engages in Animal Health Services. Also, ex-trainee has benefited from the LFN Micro-Credit scheme several times to boost his farming activities.
From the proceeds of his farming activities, the ex-trainee has made some achievements, which include:
• Building his own residential house
• Sponsoring himself for further education i.e. National Certificate of Education and Degree in Primary Education
The net-worth of Musa’s farm will be in the range of N2.5M to N3M.
The ex-trainee sees LFN as the only Foundation concerned with making youths self-employed and self-reliant. He also commended the foundation on follow-up visits to give technical advices and provision of financial assistance in the form of Micro-credit loans. He is quite proud of Leventis Foundation for making him an independent farmer.
Bulus Ayuba,hails from Tsanin Mayau in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State. He graduated in 1994. While in Training in the school; all trainers singled him out as promising and as a reliable future for the school. He is now an exporter. Most of his produce, mainly grains are now sold in Lagos and other popular cities in Nigeria. Soon after graduation, he experienced the major breakthrough when he produced tons of maize. He is usually dedicated to God’s work and maybe that is why he was compensated with high produce prices that year that gave him the first breakthrough.
He has a tractor which he uses on his farmland and also hires out to other farmers even in other states, milling machines, motorcycle, a car and a house. He also has many pairs of work bulls, which he bought with Micro credit fund disbursed to him by the school. Most of his children are in higher institutions of studies. He is a committed and trustworthy Christian. He is the current village head of Yakawada district, Giwa L.G.A. He supports his families and has this to say about Leventis Foundation. Leventis Foundation School training makes me know how to be busy at all times.
Shuaibu Garba, a graduate of 1989 in Leventis Foundation School, Dogon Dawa hails from Dakace in Zaria City. Prior to his enrollment at the school, he was an hopeless butcher man. In his own words I saw a ray of hope immediately I was admitted into Leventis School, and the ray beamed into reality immediately after my training. Now he puts virtually everything he learnt during training into full use. He has a big poultry that houses more than a thousand birds; he is into livestock and notably one of the biggest sugarcane producers in Zaria city.
He has a well-furnished apartment built by him some years after training. He also has 2 plots of land, which he is currently developing, and, which he bought with the proceed from his Micro Credit. He is married with well-educated children.
