The recent revelation by the Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Umar Bago, that not less than 300,000 farmers have fled their communities as a result of the prevailing insecurity in the state clearly depicts a situation that portends grave danger for the country. If this number is added to the numbers of those in some other states who, for a similar reason, must have also left their homes and farms, the foreseen danger becomes even more frightening.
It is a familiar fact that the security challenges that have lingered for over a decade in many Northern states are a threat to agriculture, which is the mainstay of the Northern, and indeed the Nigerian, economy. Year after year, the rate of agricultural production drops as a result of the incessant attacks on local communities by various groups of terrorists.
Currently, it is either that many farmlands have already been abandoned as a result of violent attacks or that the imposition of taxes on farmers by criminals has crippled agricultural production. The prevalence, or even escalation, of violence across several states has already constituted a threat to agriculture or, more precisely, food production.
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Another impediment is the failure of state governments to provide adequate support to deserving farmers, which is the reason for the obvious decline in their capabilities for production. The inability of farmers to access fertilisers and other inputs because of either non-availability or exorbitant costs makes it impossible for them to produce maximally.
Added to this is the food importation policy of the federal government which, while helping to bring down the prices of food items, is however inflicting pains on farmers. The implementation of the policy without the provision of necessary safeguards against unforeseen and unintended consequences has aggravated the woes of all categories of farmers in the country.
Daily Trust agrees with the argument that the sharp fall in the prices of foodstuffs has literally pushed millions of farmers out of business, with all the implications for commercial agriculture. The noticeable decline in investment in commercial food production is easily attributable to the massive importation of food without due consideration for the basic needs of local farmers.
As one of the key items on the concurrent list of responsibilities of the federal and state governments, agriculture should not have been so neglected, especially considering its exceptional contribution to the development of the country. It is a sector that deserves all the attention of governments at all levels so that national self-sufficiency in food production can be attained.
The constant migration of farmers and the resultant abandonment of farmlands can be stopped only if stronger measures for the improvement of security are jointly adopted by the federal and state governments. Local communities, which are made up mainly of farmers, need to be adequately protected against terror attacks as the most fundamental step towards the development of agriculture.
The food security that the country yearns to achieve can become a reality only if all the obstacles that have made farming an unprofitable, or even risky, endeavour are effectively removed. It is impossible for farmers to continue with their engagements when either their lives are consistently under threat or they are denied the kind of support they deserve.
We, therefore, strongly urge the federal and state governments to ensure that robust security arrangements that will allow for maximum agricultural activities as part of the preparation for the arrival of the rainy season are made. A process for the return of the fleeing farmers to their original communities should also be immediately initiated in order to avert any further decline in agricultural production.
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This newspaper believes that the governors of the Northern states, in particular, carry the largest chunk of the responsibility for the salvation of the agricultural sector because of its absolute primacy to the economic survival and prosperity of the people in the region. They are required to provide adequate resources for, on the one hand, the decimation of all the forces that always seek to impede farming and, on the other hand, the empowerment of farmers through the provision of incentives.
The huge increase in the monthly allocations they receive from the Federation Account, and some other forms of financial support that are regularly extended to the state governments by the federal government, should enable the governors to introduce and sustain programmes for the revitalisation of agriculture. They should not fail to come up with what may look like 'Operation Go Back To Farm', which can be used to facilitate the resumption of full-scale activities on the farms.
