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Beauty Queen to Promote Oil Palm Planting in Lagos
Beauty Queen to Promote Oil Palm Planting in Lagos
16/02/2015 (Nigerian Tribune) - Ondo-State born beauty queen, Ms Olapeju Olayemi, a volunteer of US Transparency International Standards and an advocate for Green Nigeria, who won the first edition of Mrs Nigeria Diaspora Pageant in 2014 is promoting oil palm planting in Nigeria.
She set up her pet project entitled ‘Diana Basket for Oil Palm Planting Campaign Aid’ in Nigeria. She has also commenced distribution of oil palm seedling and the trade mark ‘Diana Basket’ as Valentine’s gifts for Nigerians under a scheme tagged Palm Valentine in Lagos and its environs.
When addressing stakeholders at the distribution of oil palm seedling event in Owo, Ondo State recently, Olapeju commended Federal Government for its Agric-business in palm oil sector under the Transformation Agenda Scheme. She also gave credence to Ondo State Government and other State Governments that have embarked on large scale oil palm plantation.
She mentioned the contribution of private companies such as Okomu Oil Palm Plc, PZ Wilmer Foods Limited, Presco Oil Plc, Dufil Prima Foods Plc and others that has help tremedously to boost local production of palm oil thereby increasing the supply of palm oil and its productivity in Nigeria.
Olapeju advised Nigerians to return to oil palm farming in order to bring back oil palm boom as Nigeria used to be dominant in world oil palm production in the 1960s.
She said “oil palm was one of Nigeria’s cash crops and the country was a leading producer of oil palm in the past, adding that Malaysia who took the oil palm seedling from Nigeria in the 1970s is now one of the leading producers of palm oil with Indonesia”.
She however explained that the discovery of crude oil and the civil war adversely affected the production of oil palm in Nigeria. “Planting of oil palm trees will enable Nigeria to expand in its oil-palm production and change the agricultural economy of the nation. It will also provide job opportunities for the unemployed as we have demonstrated through the numerous people employed on the farm here”.
She emphasised that the decline in the production of crude oil petroleum has now necessitated the need for every Nigerian both at home and in the Diaspora to begin oil-palm farming in Nigeria. “We don’t need licence like petroleum for the production and it is an economic tree”.
Explaining why she chose distribution of oil palm seedlings and Diana Basket for her pet project, she said that she was inspired by the Federal and State Government’s Agriculture Schemes and by NIFOR, PZ Wilmar, Presco Plc, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Okomu Oil Palm Plc and Slabmark Oil Palm plantations.
Most especially she said she wanted to promote oil-palm farming like her late father, Revd. Canon Boaz Olapeju, who in his service delivery to humanity set up an oil-palm tree plantation for charity to care for orphans and scholarship for indigent but brilliant children in his Idoani community.
She stated further that the Palm Valentine’s scheme is an opportunity to revive the culture of oil palm planting among the youth and the elite in Nigeria and this initiative is an ideal podium to create the awareness.
Olapeju said that the concept of palm valentine is to re-define valentine’s gift. We want to transcend valentine’s gift from rose flowers to gifts of oil-palm seedlings for planting to symbolise love and friendship. We are also promoting the craft industry with our trade mark Diana Basket which is made from cane and palm leave so as to provide source of income and employment for people in the craft industry.
She said further that, the planting of trees will fulfil the exact history of St. Valentine’s Day which began in 270AD with Julia and her friend, the legend Martyr, St Valentine. Julia planted an almond tree near St. Valentine’s grave when he was executed on the order of oppressive Roman Empire, Emperor Claudius, because he was preaching the gospel of Christ.”
Olapeju explained that rose flowers which grow in the cold region are used by many people as valentine’s gift but the climatic condition of Nigeria cannot favour the growth of rose flowers or almond tree. We want to promote and market our native plant as valentine’s gift and discourage the use of rose flower which is a foreign plant. Oil palm tree is an evergreen tree that grows in the many parts of Nigeria. Its products are manifold among them is the ‘Trade Mark Diana Basket’.
Olapeju said the oil palm seedlings will be distributed freely to government offices, private companies, schools and residential homes through door-to-door supply all over Nigeria and would be documented. The distribution of palm seedling will continue after Valentine’s Day up to the planting season in May / June. There will be Palm Carnival and National Palm Awards during which palm seedlings will be displayed and distributed freely by other palm oil stakeholders.
“The oil palm seedlings for the pre-nursery planting will be obtained from Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) so as to ensure that the sprouted nuts are high yielding seeds varieties that can begin fruiting within 2-3 years after farm planting” she said.
She said that the scheme will be private-public driven initiative. We therefore need support from government, top industries, international community, public spirited individuals and institutions to prudently co-pilot this laudable project through partnership, sponsorship, donations of lands, polybags, seedlings, project vehicles and farming machineries.
She set up her pet project entitled ‘Diana Basket for Oil Palm Planting Campaign Aid’ in Nigeria. She has also commenced distribution of oil palm seedling and the trade mark ‘Diana Basket’ as Valentine’s gifts for Nigerians under a scheme tagged Palm Valentine in Lagos and its environs.
When addressing stakeholders at the distribution of oil palm seedling event in Owo, Ondo State recently, Olapeju commended Federal Government for its Agric-business in palm oil sector under the Transformation Agenda Scheme. She also gave credence to Ondo State Government and other State Governments that have embarked on large scale oil palm plantation.
She mentioned the contribution of private companies such as Okomu Oil Palm Plc, PZ Wilmer Foods Limited, Presco Oil Plc, Dufil Prima Foods Plc and others that has help tremedously to boost local production of palm oil thereby increasing the supply of palm oil and its productivity in Nigeria.
Olapeju advised Nigerians to return to oil palm farming in order to bring back oil palm boom as Nigeria used to be dominant in world oil palm production in the 1960s.
She said “oil palm was one of Nigeria’s cash crops and the country was a leading producer of oil palm in the past, adding that Malaysia who took the oil palm seedling from Nigeria in the 1970s is now one of the leading producers of palm oil with Indonesia”.
She however explained that the discovery of crude oil and the civil war adversely affected the production of oil palm in Nigeria. “Planting of oil palm trees will enable Nigeria to expand in its oil-palm production and change the agricultural economy of the nation. It will also provide job opportunities for the unemployed as we have demonstrated through the numerous people employed on the farm here”.
She emphasised that the decline in the production of crude oil petroleum has now necessitated the need for every Nigerian both at home and in the Diaspora to begin oil-palm farming in Nigeria. “We don’t need licence like petroleum for the production and it is an economic tree”.
Explaining why she chose distribution of oil palm seedlings and Diana Basket for her pet project, she said that she was inspired by the Federal and State Government’s Agriculture Schemes and by NIFOR, PZ Wilmar, Presco Plc, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Okomu Oil Palm Plc and Slabmark Oil Palm plantations.
Most especially she said she wanted to promote oil-palm farming like her late father, Revd. Canon Boaz Olapeju, who in his service delivery to humanity set up an oil-palm tree plantation for charity to care for orphans and scholarship for indigent but brilliant children in his Idoani community.
She stated further that the Palm Valentine’s scheme is an opportunity to revive the culture of oil palm planting among the youth and the elite in Nigeria and this initiative is an ideal podium to create the awareness.
Olapeju said that the concept of palm valentine is to re-define valentine’s gift. We want to transcend valentine’s gift from rose flowers to gifts of oil-palm seedlings for planting to symbolise love and friendship. We are also promoting the craft industry with our trade mark Diana Basket which is made from cane and palm leave so as to provide source of income and employment for people in the craft industry.
She said further that, the planting of trees will fulfil the exact history of St. Valentine’s Day which began in 270AD with Julia and her friend, the legend Martyr, St Valentine. Julia planted an almond tree near St. Valentine’s grave when he was executed on the order of oppressive Roman Empire, Emperor Claudius, because he was preaching the gospel of Christ.”
Olapeju explained that rose flowers which grow in the cold region are used by many people as valentine’s gift but the climatic condition of Nigeria cannot favour the growth of rose flowers or almond tree. We want to promote and market our native plant as valentine’s gift and discourage the use of rose flower which is a foreign plant. Oil palm tree is an evergreen tree that grows in the many parts of Nigeria. Its products are manifold among them is the ‘Trade Mark Diana Basket’.
Olapeju said the oil palm seedlings will be distributed freely to government offices, private companies, schools and residential homes through door-to-door supply all over Nigeria and would be documented. The distribution of palm seedling will continue after Valentine’s Day up to the planting season in May / June. There will be Palm Carnival and National Palm Awards during which palm seedlings will be displayed and distributed freely by other palm oil stakeholders.
“The oil palm seedlings for the pre-nursery planting will be obtained from Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) so as to ensure that the sprouted nuts are high yielding seeds varieties that can begin fruiting within 2-3 years after farm planting” she said.
She said that the scheme will be private-public driven initiative. We therefore need support from government, top industries, international community, public spirited individuals and institutions to prudently co-pilot this laudable project through partnership, sponsorship, donations of lands, polybags, seedlings, project vehicles and farming machineries.