‘Nigeria can rely on agriculture’

What is the essence of the recent retreat by the Governors’ Forum held in Lagos?  The essence of the retreat was to look at the current situation in the agric sector in Nigeria and its prospects. What we have on the ground and what we want to achieve. They are not the same thing. Let […]

What is the essence of the recent retreat by the Governors’ Forum held in Lagos?
 The essence of the retreat was to look at the current situation in the agric sector in Nigeria and its prospects. What we have on the ground and what we want to achieve. They are not the same thing. Let me give you an example, firstly, Nigeria has a population of about 170 million people, but the rice, tomato and fish that we eat are mostly imported. What I am trying to say is that what we grow is not sufficient for us, that is the first problem and that is the essence of the retreat. How can we utilise the vast land, the huge population and the good weather we have to feed our nation? That is the crux of the matter the retreat looked at.
Having identified some problems at the retreat, are you optimistic that something can be achieved?
I am very optimistic that something can be achieved, but there must be the political will, before we can arrive at somewhere. If every Governor in Nigeria will have the political will to change the agricultural sector in his state, in just three months they can record a tremendous change. We have gone round all the 36 states of this country, we know what we have seen, whether they like it or not, our governors must wake up from their slumber.
What do you mean by that?
What I mean is that, for instance, all the tomato that we grow in Kano, in Kadawa and Kura area is enough to feed this country if properly utilized. But from the estimation we made, Nigeria has spent over N13 billion in importing tomatoes in 2013. Where are our tomato farmers in Ciromawa, Kadawa and Goronyo?
What do you think the Governors Forum needs to do?
What we need to do is for instance, when we travel to Adamawa state, there are 112 wards in the state. In every ward, governor Murtala Nyako has deployed a team of ten people called master trainers under a special scheme, where each member of the team will train ten people in the whole of Adamawa. You can imagine how many unemployed youths were absorbed into the farming system in the state. As I am talking to you now many people are seeing changes in the agricultural sector in the state, that is just an example.
But don’t you think putting more attention in the agric sector will affect other sectors that are equally important?
What we are talking about here is that, whether we like it or not based on the estimation we made, if you look at our population about 80 per cent of us are farmers or we are relying on farming. So, if we are to weight this issue on a democratic scale, you cannot take away the issue of agriculture because many people rely on it, not only in the North if you go to other states half of the population is involved in farming.
Do you think Nigeria can successfully shift from dependence on oil to agriculture?
Absolutely, especially in the north, let me give you an example, Kano has about 34 functional dams that help in rice, tomato and other dry season crops production. If you go there, you will be surprise at what Rabi’u Kwankwaso is doing in the agric sector in the state. Similar scenario also exists in Sokoto, but what i am trying to say here is that if Kano, Adamawa and Sokoto have achieved that, what about the rest? We must, therefore, wake up even just for the sake of saving our image.
Where do stand as far as the issue of mechanised farming is concerned?
Let me start by telling you that if you go to some African countries, you can only see hoes in the museum, but we are still talking about hoes in Nigeria after about 54 years of independence. Permit me to make another reference with Adamawa. When we went to Yola, the state government has imported modern farming equipment from Germany which they use in training the youths. We have seen a single tractor that can perform about 17 tasks in Yola. If that can be achieved in Yola, what stops other states from doing so? There are many states in the North that received money more than Adamawa, what we are talking about here is the intention – the political will to do things. It is the key that could unravel the difficulty we are facing in the agric sector.
Many are of the opinion that experts like you have a share of the blame because you don’t give enough training and advice to the farmers and government. Why is it so?
The truth is, giving the advice is one thing and for people to put into practice the advice you gave is another different thing entirely. As an expert and adviser to the 36 governors on agriculture, God knows that we are trying our best.