Saheed Ibraheem

It may sound controversial but an average Northerner is a farmer while an average Southwesterner is a herdsman. Calm down! I will explain why.
It is not an understatement that there is famine in South West Nigeria. This is unconnected with the low production of food crops in the region as compared to the Northern region of the country.
Due to lack of irrigation system Fulani herdmen have become headaches for commercial farming in the Southwest, goats rearing are menace to subsistence farming, which has been one of the heritage of the Yoruba race.
A colleague of mine came back from Minna few days ago and she narrated that every part of the state was used for farming, to the point that one would see beans farms almost everywhere.
This is the true nature of the northerners. Everyone farms and every available land is used to grow one crop or another. Why is this possible? Simply because animals (especially goats) are prohibited from wandering around the streets.
I remember in 2006, I was in Abuja as a small boy representing Ondo State in the National School Sports Festival. We camped at Gwagwalada NYSC camp. What I noticed was that all through our sojourn in the land, I didn’t sight any goat wandering around.
Commenting on why subsistence farming thrives in the North, a Member, Nigerian Youth Parliament representing Kebbi North, Yakubu Issa Liman revealed that animals are not allowed to wander indiscriminately in the region, especially during farming season.
He further revealed that when an animal is caught, the owner pays certain fine to the farmers, whose crops were eaten.
His words: “Goats and cows do not wander around, they are being monitored by the owners not to enter people’s farms.
“Meanwhile, the Fulani herdsmen sometime prove stubborn by entering people’s farm, when caught, they were fined.
“During farming season, the royal heads make announcement restricting all animals from moving during this period, any animal caught around farms, the owner will be fined”.
Also, Mallam Abubakar Usman, who spent 20 years as a farmer in Bauchi State before moving to Ondo State to sell beans also confirmed what Mr Liman said.
According to him, animals are not allowed to wander around because farming is regarded as source of livelihood of everyone.
“We plant crops all around our houses and we hardly buy things from the market.
“We only take our excesses to the farm to sell. As I am here, I still have farms in my hometown. My children and brothers are there tending the farms and the beans I sell here, I grow them myself.
“People hardly buy over there because everyone grows something. But here, it is of high demand because they do not plant beans here,” he said.
Few months ago, we all laughed at a Benue State politician, Daniel Ukpera for donating ropes to his community members to effectively tie their goats.
According to reports, the politician donated the ropes as his contribution to the implementation of the Benue State Anti Open Grazing Law.
As condescending as we regard his gesture, we should also understand the significance. “It is forbidden to allow goats wander and destroy other people’s farms”.
This is a sharp contrast to what is obtained in the southwest, despite the region being blessed with abundant fertile land for any crop to grow.
Our goats roam around the streets like they are the owners of the land. Almost every house owner has goats they rear without providing appropriate pens for them, hence, they become menace to every house and farms around.
In my street, we have all stopped farming because the moment your crops start sprouting, the unwanted friends show up and eat everything up. We even tried making gardens for the crop but these goats are resolute as soon as they site edible leaves.
Many a time, the issue of goats destroying people’s farms and food has been source of conflicts in many communities but nothing has been done to checkmate this.
For subsistence agriculture to boom in the Southwest, we need to learn and adopt some of the methods being used in the North.
We lament onions are expensive now, soon we will lament over tomatoes and pepper.
Rice has become extremely expensive here, beans is also a no go area. The Ebiras are our saviours in term of yam.
These are crops we can easily grow just beside our houses but we cannot because of landlord or neighbours’ goats.
It had never been in the history of the Yoruba race to rely on any part of the world for food; we were self sufficient but that is history now.
Providing solutions to this is not farfetched. There is need for political will to do this. The Southwest Governors must be deliberate in their decisions to promote agriculture and end our over reliance on the North for food crops.
There is need for every House of Assembly in the Southwest region to institute laws prohibiting indiscriminate wandering of goats around streets, with fines as punishment for owners of animals caught.
With these, every individual can be encouraged to engage in subsistence farming and an average family can boast of contributing to food productivity in this region.
In addition, the law prohibiting open grazing needs to be passed in this region. This will checkmate the nefarious activities of herdsmen destroying people’s farms without any recompense for their actions.
The interest of the Southwesterners should be our priority as against these Fulani marauders.
Furthermore, experts, such as Prof. James Okunola from the Department of Agriculture Extension, Federal University of Agriculture, (FUTA), Dr. Emmanuel Moyinjesu from the Agronomy Department, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA) and Dr Jibayo Oyebade from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko have called for irrigation system to boost agriculture.
The northern part of the country is arid in nature but they boost their agricultural production with irrigation. What’s stopping the Southwest from doing the same?
Mechanised farming is another way of boosting agricultural productivity. This cannot be overemphasised.
Until we allow people grow crops without fear if losing their harvests to animals, until we prohibit open grazing, until we establish irrigation systems for farmers, the Southwest may continue to be at the mercy of others for food supply; a big blow on our heritage.