In a gripping Facebook post, seasoned farmer Adamu Tilde shares a brutally honest account of loss, resilience, and the hidden storms behind every entrepreneurial smile.
By Abdullahi Inuwa
When Adamu Tilde posted a photo of thousands of lifeless chicks on his Facebook page, it jolted many of his followers. The heartbreaking image quickly stirred conversation, casting a shadow over perceptions of poultry farming in Nigeria. But now, in a powerful follow-up titled “Still on: No Easy Victory,” the respected farmer and public commentator is offering the full picture—one layered with pain, experience, and deep reflection.
Tilde begins by dismantling the myth of perfection that social media often projects. “What you see online is rarely the full story,” he writes. “Business is an endless romance with uncertainty.”
His post dives into the details of a catastrophic 48-hour period that left him with 1,400 dead chicks and a mountain of unanswered questions. Despite following industry-standard protocols, and sourcing the birds from a renowned hatchery with over 50 years in the business, the chicks began dying rapidly on the third day. Vets were baffled. Lab reports later confirmed aspergillosis, a deadly fungal infection traced back to the hatchery itself.
Rather than immediately pursue legal redress, Tilde took the high road. “I gathered my evidence, consulted lawyers, and prepared my case. But in the end, I decided to let it go—after all, Nigerian courts are a marathon,” he said.
The real victory, he explained, wasn’t in compensation but in the lessons learned. New protocols have been adopted. The team is stronger, wiser—and perhaps more importantly, tougher. In a twist of fate, revenue from surviving birds helped cushion the loss.
“The business didn’t break us. It fortified us,” he wrote, ending with the words: Alhamdulillah ala kulli haal.
Tilde’s post has since sparked a wave of support and reflection among entrepreneurs, particularly those in agriculture, many of whom hailed his transparency and resilience.
No easy victory, indeed—but an inspiring one, nonetheless.
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