Asalu made this call at the flag-off ceremony of distributing Agro-based chemicals to 600 farmers in Ejigbo Local Government and three other local governments of Ede Federal Constituency.

“It is not enough to be party leaders and stakeholders by mouth; we must come with great influence at home, garnered through efforts of this nature, directly channelled to the people we hope to serve. We are not leaders by mere mouth, we must be leaders in words and deeds,” he said.

The Ejigbo-born politician also noted that every political office holder should be held accountable, as there has been a massive increment in the allocation that each state is accruing from the coffers of the Federal Government, adding that no Honorable Member representing Osun in the House of Representatives is collecting less than ₦1 billion.

He further urged the beneficiaries of these farm inputs to make judicious use of the chemicals, as this would make the scheme’s aim of raising local food production capacity to fix the country’s export deficit a reality.

In the same vein, a representative of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, M.O. Yahaya, lauded the facilitator of the programme, ASLER, and stressed that the kind gesture is coming at a point when the economy is shifting from oil exploration to agriculture.

She then enjoined the beneficiaries not to sell the inputs but to make use of them on their farm to ensure adequate provision of food.

Meanwhile, one of the beneficiaries of the programme, Adebisi Ayegbayo, who appreciated the facilitator, also maintained that the kind gesture is of high benefit as most farmers are getting ready for the rainy season.

The event, which was held at the Ejigbo Baptist High School playground, had in attendance distinguished guests, traditional rulers, religious leaders, farmers, and a host of others.