The survival of the green sector in Nigeria seems to be threatened slowly and steadily with the growing cases of insecurity in the country, which has resulted to many farmers fleeing their farms for fear of being maimed, kidnapped or killed by armed men.
With its origin reportedly from the negative onslaughts of Boko Haram, the situation has metamorphosed or fragmented into banditry and herdsmen attacks. This has been agreed by industry players as likely leading the country into tougher times with food security at risk.
Experts have opined that the incessant attacks of the rural dwellers (majority of them; farmers) has dealt a heavy blow on the economy with about 3.7 million people, across 16 states becoming food insecure. While the country grapples with climate change, population growth and other factors, insecurity has played a part in the worrisome status quo.
Losing its pride of place in economic history
Historically, as commonly known, agriculture in Nigeria had, prior to the discovery of oil, played a major role in rural employment, food sufficiency, fibre, and export earnings. This means that as at Nigeria’s independence in 1960, petrol was relatively unknown as a revenue earner for the country. Within the period Nigeria, was a major exporter of products like cocoa, oil palm, cocoa, groundnut, cotton and rubber. There were enough crops such as cassava, yam, soya beans, maize, millet, etc. This left no room or need for importation thereby placing its status as accounting for 60% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Recall that Nigeria was number one amongst other countries like Malaysia and Indonesia in products like palm oil and groundnuts, even ahead of the US and Argentina. Nigeria’s status with 47% in these products, which made her as an agricultural centre, has declined steeply and steadily. While Nigeria once provided 18% of the world demand of cocoa, second in the world in the 1960s, that figure has drastically reduced to 8%.
Also, the country, which was known to produce 65% of tomatoes in West Africa, has become the leading importer of tomato paste.
Farmlands turning into graveyards
The spate of attacks on farmsteads has been seen as one bold setback to the hope of placing Nigeria as a top earner in the government’s drive for the much touted diversification. A recent attack on communities in Southern Kaduna has rendered many farmlands as graveyards. Many agrarian communities have buried their loved ones in open fields and farmlands that once served their feeding needs and commercial purposes. This development has led to shortage of food supplies from the areas affected to other parts of the country.
It should be noted that Kaduna State is known for agricultural resources such as cotton, groundnut, maize, ginger, tobacco, beans, guinea corn and millet. However, records reveal that the state currently leads in cotton production in the country.
This laudable record however is on the verge of being shattered by the ongoing killings and kidnapping in areas such as Zangon Kataf, Zonkwa, Kaura, Igabi, and Kachia, which are known for the mass production of the aforementioned crops.
Haruna Shuaibu (real names withheld) is a 35-year-old native of Kwoi in Jaba Local Government area of Southern Kaduna. He lamented the extinction of the serenity that once trailed agriculture in the state.
”It is unfortunate that the peace and tranquility that trailed agriculture in Nigeria is fading away before our very eyes.
”Some of us, who grew up with our peasant parents, saw the ambience of the farms and farming. Sounds of wild birds filtered the air and created the serenity needed for our cultivation of ridges for yams.
“It is also nostalgic how we took foods to our parents in the farms trekking for kilometers and find them asleep under the tree shades and enjoying the sound from transistor radios. Funny or sad enough, the major contents on radio Nigeria focused on agriculture.
Speaking further with an emotion laden voice, Shuaibu, who is also an Agricultural Extensionist described further, “I remember when, as a young farm advisor, we would lobby to go and visit Fulani cattle rearers at their Ruga in Zonkwa, not just because we want to teach them new practices in dairy production as our job demands, but because of our particular interest in the raw milk of their cows and their dance steps as they usually do mini performances to welcome visitors.
“Now the pictures everywhere on the internet about fulanis as stick wielding have been replaced with AK 47 clutching and trigger-happy fellows. This is sad.” Shuaibu lamented.
This development is not peculiar to Kaduna State alone as agriculturally vibrant states of Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Benue, Adamawa and the Boko Haram infested Borno have swallowed bitter pills with heartbreaking tales. Corroborating the account of Shuaibu, Hassan Ahmadu, a former polo horse keeper and indigene of Borno State, said he wept on seeing the fields they once used to train horses for Hawan Daushe Festival (A royal horse riding event hosted by Emirs) in the past now mass shallow graves.
Ahmadu said: “There is a particular path I like taking my horses to keep them fit. We run for kilometers and sit down under thick canopies and pluck mangoes, and talk about plans as youths.
“I recently visited home after staying in Ghana for a period and was told by my friend that the entire lands have been turned to graves as the community cemeteries have been filled up.
“This is heartbreaking, I must say, as these are mostly farmers who were cattle rearers who supplied products to Lagos, the East and neighbouring Niger. Why won’t there be a cost crisis in the market for meat?” Ahmadu queried.
Recently, more than 43 people were killed in Maiduguri. Reports say the attackers tied up agricultural labourers working in rice fields and slit their throats. The dreaded Boko Haram group later claimed responsibility for the attack saying the killer farmers reported them to the military.
*Agro Tourism near extinction as fun seekers boycott destinations*
The revenue accruing from tourist visits to the country’s destinations and events will dwindle further as visitors are reportedly staying away for safety.
For example, the popular Argungu Fishing Festival in Kebbi State, which sees huge crowd of both locals and foreigners troop into the expansive forests to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking catches from thousands of fishermen would be a huge suicidal move today with the forests already infested with bandits.
Student’s kidnap, a huge scare away from selection as course of study in institutions
The recent kidnap of the students of Federal College of Forestry Mechanization has once again worsened the already widening gap between students’ choice of agriculture as a field of study and other disciplines. The trauma of being picked up from the class by bandits while studying to become professionals in agriculture would linger in the minds of both the kidnapped students and the potential school leavers who would not want to get into the farms, exposed to risks.
James Kayode is a private Agricultural tutor in Lagos who shares same view.
“I have taught agriculture for some years now and I’m not happy with the apathy trailing the discipline which so many of us found as noble.
“I was conducting a random questioning of students on their career choices. I intentionally picked four courses: Law, Accounting, Agriculture, and Banking/Finance.
“They all chose the other courses and left Agriculture. I started calling them to seek their reasons and they all cited insecurity as a threat to Agricultural students.
“One of them, a female, specifically said she cannot afford to sit down and burn midnight candles for exam, sit in the hall and struggle to meet cutoffs, pay tuition, get admitted and get kidnapped in her first year in a practical farming session.
“Speaking further, she said only few Agricultural Institutions have fenced farms with many of them sited in the forests, away from security presence.
“I was shocked at this viewpoint from a teenager and such opinions are shared widely. If nothing is done about this situation, the discipline may suffer serious boycott”, Kayode added.
What is the government saying?
On the recent attack on farms in Maiduguri, President Muhammadu Buhari had said: “I condemn the killing of our hard-working farmers by terrorists in Borno State.
“The entire country is hurt by these senseless killings. My thoughts are with their families in this time of grief. May their souls rest in peace.”
Kaduna State Governor Nasir El – Rufai, had, upon heated pressure to negotiate with the bandits for the release of the 39 students under captivity, said the government would not negotiate with bandits under any guise and that whoever poses as representative of the government in negotiating with bandits will be dealt with under the law.
This order was flaunted recently when five of the kidnapped students were found. The parents of the remaining students still in the forest said they would negotiate with the bandits to secure the release of their wards, citing the governor as ‘ insensitive to their plights’.
The governor in his response said the government would do all within its capacity to secure the release of their children safely.
These situations represent the views of other governors who, by law, are the chief security officers of their states. Many critics have said the government is not doing enough in the fight against banditry and may watch the sector plunge deep into food shortages as more farmers leave their farms.
Recent reports have also clearly shown that most of the bandits were former farmers who took up arms against their own colleagues.
Until a major and decisive move is made by the government, the country may slip into harsher times and likely food insecurity.
