THE OIL PALM VISION FOR ONNA

An Address Presented by HRM Edidem Raymond Timothy Inyang, Paramount Ruler of ONNA and Akwa Enin Afaha Worldwide on the Occasion of the Flag-Off Ceremony of Distribution and Planting of Oil Palm Seedlings in ONNA Local Government Area

THE OIL PALM VISION FOR ONNA

An Address Presented by HRM Edidem Raymond Timothy Inyang, Paramount Ruler of ONNA and Akwa Enin Afaha Worldwide on the Occasion of the Flag-Off Ceremony of Distribution and Planting of Oil Palm Seedlings in ONNA Local Government Area

Date: 22-05-2025

Today is a historic and joyous day for me and the ONNA Host Community, I live here in our Community and have over the years observed the low level of economic activity and poverty which unfortunately is also common to most communities in the country.

But today in ONNA, the Palm Fruit gets the opportunity to receive the Respect it never had for generations. We live in ONNA surrounded by Oil palm trees. We depend and rely on the palm for livelihood. Our families and our villages depend on the palm fruit for money. The palm fruit is always with us in the rain or dry season. It keeps yielding. We have taken it for granted. Its an abuse of the privilege it has afforded us to have it in our community.

Therefore, we ask today, Why do we still subject the palm fruit tree to subsistence farming. Please let us recognize the Oil Palm and show respect and thanks for what it has done for us in the past and accept its immense potential and appreciate what it is going to do for us in the future. Please Clap for our OIL PALM FRUIT TREES!!!!!!!!!!

THE VISION FOR ONNA

Today ONNA has come to turn the corner to make the Oil Palm the cornerstone of our Community Development Program. We will cultivate the Oil Palm no longer just for food but now also as raw material enough to sustain a Multi-Product Processing and Oil Refining Industry in ONNA.

Let us cultivate and plant the Oil Palm in a different way because it is the lowest hanging fruit that includes the skilled and unskilled as well as educated and uneducated members of our community.

So ONNA will give out Oil Palm Seedlings Free to Individuals in the Community, Onna will help Plant it on land chosen by the individual. The individual will have responsibility to keep it alive for three years to maturity and thereafter enjoy its financial empowerment for life.

By emphasizing the individual, we have redefined community development to include everybody in the family, even the stakeholders, the village and the Local Government Area.

Planting is an expensive undertaking but it is a worthy investment we want to make for success of this program in our community. In the process this investment will create jobs, eliminate poverty and encourage individual responsibility and creativity.

Beneficiaries do not need to own large parcels of land. The frontage or backyard of your house will accommodate one or two stands. The palms shall belong to individual members of our community and so we do not have to be limited to the typical plantation model.

If you ask me why? I will refer you to the fact that A liter of Refined Crude Oil (Petrol) is currently selling for N850 in ONNA while a liter of Unrefined Palm kernel Oil (PKO) is selling for N3000 and ordinary red palm oil is N1,200.

Our vision for ONNA is therefore, to tap into this global wealth which has been with us for generations. We wish to embark on an economic empowerment process which must be implemented as a sustainable program and not as a project.

Your Excellency, Your Majesties and respected guests, this is the Oil Palm Vision of the good people of ONNA LGA

CONCLUSION/APPRECIATION

That is also the reason ONNA host community hopes to develop an Agriculture Training School as soon as possible to complement our effort on the oil palm program and to provide general professional skills for our youths in different technical and administrative aspects of Agribusiness. By doing so, and by the grace of God and the support of our partners, we hope to make ONNA LGA the capital of Oil Palm production in Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria

And so, on behalf of our host community ONNA, I want to sincerely thank the leadership of the EMOIMEE Trust, the Settlor Mobil and the NUPRC, for supporting us thus far on this program I want to appeal to you to remain steadfast as we commence planting and later processing of this crop to the benefit of our people and by extension, indigenes of Akwa Ibom State and beyond.

Our deep appreciation also goes to the Government of Akwa Ibom State under the able and steady leadership of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno. Not only did he recently visit and tour Ibom Integrated Farms in person with his Exco but the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development under our most gracious Commissioner Dr (Mrs) Offiong Offor has also supported this program with Seedlings.

Please let us appreciate our Government for their prompt response and cooperation and willingness to support and partner with private sector efforts and initiatives for development.

Your Excellency, we thank you, and like Oliver Twist, we wish to respectfully put you on notice that ONNA LGA shall require yet more support from the State Government until the benefits of the AR.I.S.E. Agenda manifest fully on this program.

As a matter of urgency, we plead for assignment of Agric Extension workers to supervise, train and monitor the process of our newly planted seedlings.

We also like to put you on notice that we will need up to four (4) Oil mills to process the fruit products of this our Community Development program.

Finally, to the wonderful people of ONNA, let us come together as one family and take maximum advantage of the golden opportunity of this program. This one is not just for the leaders or for the most educated ones among us. This one is for every single indigene of ONNA. This is our own. By the singular act of this Flag-Off, we are telling the whole world today that ONNA IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

Thank you and God bless us all.