The Insight by Lateef Adewole
“A o le tori wipe a o je eran, k’a doba le fun maalu” (We cannot because we want to eat beef, start prostrating for cows). – Yoruba saying
The recent happenings in Nigeria have been both interesting and shocking, with the turn of events concerning the “foodstuff embargo” placed on the southern part of Nigeria by their counterparts from the north. What looked like a “joke taken too far” became a reality in our very own eyes.
From the blues, some groups of people who called themselves Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN), in their press conference addressed and passed a “fatwa” of a “no foodstuff movement to the south” from last week Thursday. The “order” was given by Alhaji Ahmed Alarima, their leader. They were supported by another association; Food and Animal Welfare Organisation, led by Dr. Muhammed Tahir ( from the north too).
Their reason was that the northerners (more like; the Fulanis) are not safe again in the south, following the series of incidents in some weeks past. They cited the case of Ondo State governor who asked all herdsmen operating in Ondo State forest reserves to vacate there and get registered as a way of curbing the criminal elements disguising as herdsmen, while they commit heinous crimes and use the forests as a safe haven.
The incident in Igangan and other areas as it concerned Sunday Igboho’s mobilisation against criminal Fulanis in Oyo State and Yorubaland generally was another excuse. The incident triggered the unfortunate crisis in Shasha in Ibadan, where Yorubas and Hausas fought, lives were lost and properties destroyed. The two sides suffered casualties, though only the Yorubas were arrested and are in prison for the incident now.
On top of that, they claimed to have lost billions of naira and 150 people during EndSars protest. This seemed to be the most preposterous. Firstly, where were the 150 people killed? Definitely not in Yorubaland. When loss of businesses was mentioned, I asked in which place? Definitely they were not referring to the massive destruction that took place in Lagos. In most of that, Lagos state government, big business owners, and many shopping malls housing many smaller businesses were the victims.
While I am not saying that businesses of northerners were not affected during the crisis, that would have amounted to callousness and insensitivity, as we saw videos where trucks carrying food items and cattle were waylaid and goods stolen, in the rage of “palliative pandemic” last year. But, how many millions or billions of naira could all that worth? They demanded that the federal government must pay a compensation of 450 billion naira to them. That’s ludicrous. Even a whole Lagos state put their losses at about one trillion naira, which many still questioned.
The association directed that all food supplies to the South should be stopped. To everyone’s amazement, they enforced it. Even when buying goods from the north and taking them to the south by private individuals are simply businesses engaged by many people who may have nothing to do with those associations, their businesses were disrupted and they were caused huge losses.
By the way, in whose interest are these associations working? Definitely not in “Nigeria’s” as indicated in their name. They should have replaced that part of their name with; “North or Northern Nigeria”. Even at that, going by what subsequently transpired, the Middle Belt Forum, a significant part of the north, in their own separate statements, dissociated themselves from such directive and actions. They went further to call on the farmers and dealers from the middle belt to continue to supply foodstuff and agricultural products to the south. However, that was hampered. Why? How?
Since last week Thursday, some miscreants took over federal highways across the country where the north links the south. They constituted themselves into task force to enforce the food blockage order. A video has been in circulation where tens of trucks loaded with different food items, agricultural products, and cattle, were forced to stop at Jebba in Niger state, at the exit point and entrance to Kwara state.
Another surprise was the excising of Kwara state from the north. When did that happen that I did not know? Kwara was now considered as part of the south for “sanction” but it becomes part of the north during census and elections? “Ok o. kontinuu” (like mama Peace would say. Apologies).
These illegalities were perpetrated in many locations at the north-south boundaries with impunity. No one stopped them. No one arrested them. The federal government looked on as some individuals from the north, for their selfish interests, created “international borders” within the country. That’s illegal but it’s another of “non-state actors” usurping the responsibility of an irresponsible government.
Sadly, their actions have not turned out well. It created problems for the dealers and farmers from the north in the process. There have been different messages online narrating how prices of these goods have plummeted in the north. That strategy was thoughtless, hasty and irresponsible. It backfired.
Now, they have ruined many peoples’ businesses with the losses. People who were managing to survive through these businesses of buying in the north to be sold down south. Many perishable goods like tomatoes, pepper, onion, vegetables and so on, got spoilt. Attempts to sell them off in the north failed. A message in circulation said that a basket of tomatoes which was previously sold at 8,000 naira in Kaduna became 150 naira. Yes, you read correctly. Still, no buyers! 35,000 naira worth of onions sold for 7,000 naira. Likewise many other foodstuffs.
Those who contemplated that action must have miscalculated. They boasted of moving their wares to alternative markets in some neighbouring West African countries but that did not work as expected. For how long can the perishables survive before they get to those countries? I read an account of how many of those countries rejected the goods because they were in bad condition.
This must have informed the desperate volte-face on Wednesday by the same group in Abuja. The “kangaroo”, face-saving meeting with Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, who seems to have more time on his hands these days, came out with another resolution to suspend the foodstuffs blockage. I just laughed as I watched them on television. They shot themselves in the feet.
In all of these, that action was a serious wake up call to the south. And I have never been prouder of the position of the southerners, seeing how people rose to the occasion. Prices of the goods suddenly went up truly in the south, but rather than crying and begging that the blockage be lifted, the people started looking inward. In fact, a meeting of the Commissioners of Agriculture in the six south-west states was called to strategise on how to begin self-sufficiency in food productions, going forward.
If not for the “self inflicted” laziness and unseriousness by the south, where in the world does a desert region feed the fertile region? Only in Nigeria. And this started only few decades ago. While we were young, almost every family has their farmlands where the entire family goes to farm every evening or on weekends. We planted different crops like yam, cassava, maize, vegetables, pepper, tomatoes. Also around the home, we consumed fresh farm produce. Same thing about animals. Goats and chicken were reared in almost every home. All these provided basic food items needed for survival. Who cared about foodstuff from the north at the time?
The same culture pervaded our schools; primary and secondary. Each student was assigned a portion of farmland at the beginning of every term or year. He or she would clear it, made the ridges and cultivate it. Each student would be given particular crop to plant and nurture to harvest. This prepared the students for real-life in future to be responsible persons. All of that is history now.
Let me not begin with the well-articulated, well-planned and well-executed masterpiece agricultural system established by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in the Western region, in the 50’s and 60’s as the premier. Farm settlements and ranches were established with cattle which produced high quality, very nutritious meat and milk available all over the western region. All of them were destroyed as the misnomer unitary system, which transited to this dysfunctional federal system, was foisted on the country by the military incursion.
The incident of food blockage to the south which lasted for about six days raised another suspicion with regards to the activities of the killer herdsmen all these years in the south. Was it deliberate that agriculture in the south be destroyed so that the south can be forced to accede to any demand made by the north at time like this? Was this the reason why farmers were killed and farmlands invaded and destroyed by cattle? These are questions many have started asking since the blockage began.
It also revived the agitation for restructuring, resource control and true federalism. Many felt if some people speaking for the Fulanis in the north could wake up one day and blocked foodstuff supply to the South since they control it, the south should also control the resources within their territories and do as they wished with them. Petroleum products, whether crude or refined, are obtained from the south, and ferried to the north. Can the south also block such supply?
The waters are part of the resources within the south through which goods are imported into the country. Can the south also block the north from using them? These and many more, are questions that the action of the north has generated.
Like I wrote last week, the north will leave important things and focus on inanities. While their house is on fire with regards to insecurities that have encircled them, they are busy fighting the south for not wanting the same fate to befall them. For not wanting to be kidnapped, raped, maimed or killed by killer herdsmen. Right now, bandits rule in the north. Constituted authorities and many important personalities now pander to them. They compete at who will outshine the other in pleasing and defending the bandits.
The same bandits who were said not to be criminals, on whose behalf Sheikh Gumi was “fighting” everybody, just to get amnesty for them, have just abducted another 50 people, including women, nursing mothers and children, and burnt down the community, despite the order given by the president on Wednesday, to ‘shoot on sight’, anyone carrying assault weapon and the “no-fly zone” declaration on Zamfara state. Again, another 50 passengers were kidnapped in Niger state. The northern leaders need to call their people to order against misdemeanours such as the food blockage. But, what do we expect with the rhetorics that were coming out from many of the leaders themselves?
No southerner will surrender their life or farmland to criminal killer herdsmen just because of a plate porridge.
May God continue to protect and guide us aright.
God Bless Nigeria.
Lateef Adewole is a political analyst and social commentator. He can be reached by email lateefadewole23@gmail.com or via WhatsApp +2348020989095 and @lateef_adewole on Twitter, Lateef Adewole on Facebook.
