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As one of the key drivers of the Nigerian economy, especially in the rice value chain, Olam Rice Farm, one of Nigeria’s largest private investors with the biggest rice farms in West Africa, is not oblivious of the challenges facing the environment it operates.
Located in Rukubi village about 60 kilometres from Doma, the headquarters of Doma local government of Nasarawa State, the farm sits on 13,500 hectares of land with over 4,400 hectares fully developed for double cropping of both wet and dry season cropping.
The farm has contingual communities who have played host to the company for over ten years.
Olam Rice Farm, as a corporate citizen, has maintained a cordial relationship with its host communities in the last decade of operations in Nasarawa State. It has responded to some of the needs of the people in the areas of education, training, peace building, health, agriculture and humanitarian support.
True to its humanitarian character, Olam Rice Farm only recently rescued 3,805 victims of floods that submerged five villages of Achepe, Obendo, Olegokpa, Ijiwo and Otiya on September 19.
Responding to the disaster, Olam Rice Farm, as part of its corporate social responsibility and true to its deliberate policy of people first, did everything to ensure no life was lost in the floods that completely submerged the villages by deploying boats to bring the victims to dry land in Rukubi.
When LEADERSHIP visited the displaced victims’ camp at the local primary school in Rukubi where the company sheltered them, the atmosphere was that of relief, and although they are away from their ancestral homes, the people were happy.
Olam Rice Farm took it as a point of duty to not only shelter but provide basic relief materials to the victims, including the provision of meals, sleeping materials, potable water, lavatory, medical care and adequate security.
Findings by LEADERSHIP revealed that victims of the flood camped at Rukubi camp include 1,268 women, 935 children and 27 men, while the Akpanaja camp contains 1,015 women, 476 children and 84 men, bringing the total rescued victims to 3,805.
Also, records of medical treatment from Olam Rice Farm to the Rukubi camp residents include 193 women attended to for various ailments, 65 children and 30 men, while 231 women, 87 children and 19 men were treated for various ailments at the Akpanaja camp by the medical team of Olam Rice Farm.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, a medical doctor drafted to the camp by Olam Rice Farm from the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, Dr Adeleke Yakubu, said women had the most health complaints.
“Olam invited us to render medical outreach to flood victims; we have children, pregnant women and men here in the camp. Urinary tract infection is common among pregnant women; for children, pneumonia is common while malaria is common among adults.
Olam has given us enough drugs to administer to them,” Dr Yakubu said.
Mr Angola Ekah, chairman of the six communities at the camp, was full of appreciation for Olam Rice Farm for coming to their rescue in their time of need.
“Olam has been doing a lot of things for us; since we started experiencing flooding, Olam has been coming to
our rescue, and they have provided beds, mosquito nets, clothes and food for us. When the flood happened, Olam came with a flying boats to evacuate our people,” said Ekah.
The acting chief of Rukubi, Mr Dan Suleiman Ela, told LEADERSHIP that his village is playing host to about six communities recently submerged by floods.
“Since the flood scattered the communities, Olam has been there for us; they provided blankets, beds and food. Government has not done this type of thing for us before. There are doctors attending to people who are not feeling well. We appreciate them very much.” said Chief Ela.
Appreciating the humanitarian gesture of Olam Rice Farm, the Osakpa of Akpanaja, His Highness, Alhaji Musa Abari Agye, said the company had taken its corporate social responsibility to a new level going by the way it responded to the flood disaster that hit his kingdom.
“The coming of Olam Rice Farm has widened the understanding of what is happening within the community and the state. We gain a lot from them: they assist us with employment of our youths; they have been responsible for the rehabilitation of our roads in the community; they built some boreholes in the community, and they built a secondary school in Rukubi.
“When floods recently displaced people in my community, Olam Rice Farm evacuated them, took all of them to Rukubi; they are feeding them daily, giving them free medical treatment at the camp. All flood victims are kept in two separate camps, one in my place at Akpanaja and the other at Rukubi, they are over 3, 000 people,” said the traditional ruler.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP on the development, the Overseer, Ekye Development Area, Hon. Bello Akoza, said Olam Rice Farm has been performing well in terms of their corporate social responsibility. He said, “I know their efforts towards my people and that is why I always recommend them, they have been taking care of my people very well, we have been facing a lot of flooding during rainy season, almost 14 communities were submerged by flooding in my area and it was Olam that came to rescue us down to Rukubi, where they feed them three times daily”.
Also reacting to the recent flooding, the paramount ruler of Doma, the Andoma of Doma, His Highness Alhaji Ahmadu Aliyu Oga Onawo, said his domain has good relations with Olam Rice Farm.
“The relationship we have with Olam is a good synergy of productive progress for the good of the nation; their multimillion dollar investment in our place is one of its kind in Africa,” the Andoma of Doma said.
Being the first of its kind in rice production in the country, the first class traditional ruler said Olam Rice Farm has put in place some community-based initiatives to support the host communities and impact positively on the lives of the people.
“We commend the good intentions of Olam, especially in the scholarship they give to our children; also the schools and clinics they built for the communities. Unfortunately when there were recent incidents of floods, Olam swung into action immediately and reached out to our people. As expected, the interface between Olam and the host community is a hospitable one. Olam provided roads to our community,” said the Andoma.
The Nasarawa State government, speaking through the commissioner of
Trade, Industry and Investment, Hon. Salihu Alli, told LEADERSHIP that Olam Rice Farm remains the only company feeding the state with its productive activities.
“Olam has provided a lot to the people of Rukubi with their coming, Olam is the only company feeding the state for now with their production. Their investment has provided a lot of job and business opportunities for our people. The coming of Olam has boosted a lot of economic activities in the host community and Nasarawa State.
Head of Agronomy, Olam Rice Farm, Dr Umaru Ismaila, speaking on the company’s CSR activities, said Olam is a multinational company that is always willing to give back to its host communities and ensure that there is a peaceful relationship between the company and the host communities.
He said the company identified education as one of the drivers to overcome poverty, social vices and “we have done a lot to provide employment for the youths of our host communities.”
Other recent CSR activities in host communities by Olam Rice Farm, LEADERSHIP’s findings revealed, include the construction of Ondori Junior Secondary School (awaiting commissioning), newly constructed model primary school, newly constructed Model Primary School in Zegeyo village, building of
classroom blocks at GSS Rukubi, and the provision of borehole water for GSS Rukubi.
Other CSR interventions in host communities include the provision of scholarship to students of the host communities in higher institutions, construction/rehabilitation of rural roads, provision of solar-powered lights, awareness campaign for Covid-19 including provision of hand washing tools to all schools within the host communities to prevent the spread of COVID 19 and handing over 300 bags of rice to women of the host communities as palliatives during Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the company, the peace enjoyed in the communities is a clear testimony of its commitment to ensuring that continued engagement with the various tribes is sustained through peace meetings and corporate social responsibility activities in the communities.
Source: Leadership
