2022 World Bees Day: I’m aware of honey’s potency – Monarch charges Beekeepers.

Abotokio Group with Monarch celebrating the 2022 World Bees Day

A Traditional Ruler, HRM Ọba Gabriel Akanbi Ogunji, Arápótalíyẹ̀wọ́ 1, Oníjòùn of Ìjòùn, in Yewa North LGA, Ogun State, SouthWest, Nigeria has charged beekeepers not to relent in their pursuit of educating people on making slow food abundance.

Ọba Ogunji, while hosting the Abotokio Slow Food Beekeeping Community in his Oke-Batamu Palace, Ijoun, during the celebration of 2022 World Bees Day, themed, “Bee Engaged, Build Back Better for Bees” noted the importance and potency of honey to human health and the ecosystem, adding that as a Nurse, he was aware of honey being used to treat wounds, and certain cardiovascular ailments.

Abotokio Slow Food Beekeeping Community.

“My plead to you is that you continue the campaign until the rest of us who are afraid of bees will come to terms with the fact that, for our sustainability and wellbeing of our environment, we have to be part of bee keeping project.

I’m aware, as a Nurse, the usefulness, and potency of honey in the treatment of wounds, and certain cardiovascular diseases.

“Rome was not built in a day, I am sure, with your present pace and zeal, Beekeeping would soon become a household trade in our community, so please keep it up”, Oba Ogunji admonished.

Abotokio Group during the rally.

In his address, the Coordinator of Abotokio Slow Food Beekeeping Community, Mr Elijah Aṣade, stressed the need to protecting bees because Bees and others pollinators are declining in abundance in many parts of the world largely due to intensive farming practices, mono-cropping, excessive use of agricultural chemicals and higher temperatures associated with climate change, affecting not only crop yields but also nutrition.

The Coordinator however warned that should the trend continues, nutritious crops such as fruits, nuts, and many vegetables will be substituted increasingly by staple crops like rice, corn, and potatoes, eventually resulting in an imbalanced diet.

Mr Aṣade quoting Graziano da Silva urged every single person to make pollinator-friendly choices, adding that growing of flowers at home to feed bees is a commendable way for everyone to play his/her role in Beekeeping project,

“This 2022 World Bee Day provides an opportunity for all of us – whether we work for governments, corporate organizations or civil society or are concerned citizens – to promote actions that will protect and enhance pollinators and their habitats, improve their abundance and diversity, and support the sustainable development of beekeeping.

“The Celebration of the World Bee Day came on board through the efforts of the Slovenia Government with the mutual Support of Apimondia and declared in 2018 by United Nation’s General Assembly*.

Earlier, a leader of the group, Activist Ayinla Ogunronbi had outlined four goals of the 2022 World Bee Day worldwide, as he urged stakeholders to continue in the course of protecting the Bees and making honey abundant.

“Draw the attention of the world’s public and political decision-makers to the importance of protecting bees.

“Remind us that we depend on bees and other pollinators.

“Protect bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.

“Halt the further loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals”.

Mr Ogunronbi according to the 2022 theme charged beekeepers to be “Bee Engaged, Build Back Better for Bees”.

The icing on the cake of the 2022 World Bees Day at Abotokio was the experience shared by Mrs F. A. Afuape, a Beekeeper for Life from Abotokio Slow Food Beekeeping Community’s Women Group, Nigeria.

Mrs Afuape, having achieved reasonably through sales of honey urged fellow women to take interest in honey related business.

“I therefore recommend to you all – as part of experiences gained being a honey marketer, as well as a Ward Facilitator in the ongoing Nigeria for Women Project – that you can consider forming a unit of Women Affinity Group; it is a group you can leverage on to venture into any businesses of your choice among Beekeeping, Value Addition, Honey packaging and Marketing as a way of diversifying varied livelihood activities to a more Sustainable and functional Economic activities as indicated in the Beekeeping industry.

“The Nigeria for Women Project on its own remains an eye opener for us to become “Bee Engaged and Build Back Better for Bees” as the opportunities received can assist everyone to establish small Scale Apiaries, set up Small Scale Honey Processing and Packaging Centre, promotion of Agro-ecological and bio-diversity conditions that favours bees for their well being and better Production which will eventually will maximize profits”, Mrs Afuape implored.