http://ngex.com/news/public/article.php?ArticleID=1590
 
Nigeria: South Will Starve To Death Or Bow Like Their Kin To Arabs
Author: Farouk Martins | March 22, 2010

There are three main issues involved here: Farming, Bribe as taxes and Oil sector. They are so interwoven, it takes more than a short article to sort them out. But try we must. We have been sensitized to the dangerous dependence on oil money to solve all our problem including the most important, which is food from our backyards. We made a choice to rely on money from oil farms and abandon food production with the notion that money can buy it all. It’s our downfall.

The fact is Southerners are neither in full control of food production nor oil industry. As for bribe takers, they are made up of all Nigerians but the forceful takers in the Armed Forces are eventually controlled by the very powerful. Traders who go into business must make a little profit after transport, imported petrol and all bribes or taxes expenses, no matter who collect them. So if they have to bring food all the way from the North to people who are too proud and lame to farm in the South, it does not make any sense then for a “lame” man to blame suppliers. Without them, he will starve to death. Variety of meat and yams can be from both North South.

Blame people all the time for our indiscretion, greed and outright indifference to our poor folks who share no part in the misery we lead them into; nobody listens. How anyone can blame the North for starving the South out of daily suya beats some of our wildest imagination unless we know of any reason why cows and cattle cannot be grazed by Southerners in the South. But a logical reason, why Northerners can graze same cows and cattle anywhere, including the South.

When we were growing up, most of our parents had a little shed in the backyards where crops and chickens were within reach. Indeed, those bad boys are known for stealing chickens from the neighbors’ yard. Many of us who left major cities for secondary schools in the deep West or East were surprised that there were agric classes that sent students to cultivate farms. Now, nobody has come up yet and make a case where anyone from any part of Nigeria forced them to stop feeding themselves from their more productive green backyards.

It seems that our great grandparents that never saw this modernization were more civilized than us. They taught us to be prudent about food and make sure it is within reach. Some of us even remember that folk song:

Iwe kiko lai si oko ati ada, kio pe o, koi pe o. Ise agbe ni ise ile wa, eni ko sise ama jale.

It simply translates into "education without means of food production is incomplete and will lead to looting. They were right on!

What we see today in many of the backyards are extensions of the main houses rented out. We also see oil farms or bunkering from Port-Harcourt to Lagos. On good faith, Lateef Jakande gave Lagos’ share of agricultural subsidies in the 80s, to the North. We missed meat, tomatoes and peppers for a week and we are crying as if Biafra did not miss much more for a couple of years. If we made do in Biafra for that long, improvise for food, survived and become healthier years after that; a week cannot kill us but make us think again about the future of food in our Country.

When a former head of state in Nigeria elevated dash to family support, we should have known as some predicted that we were in for tough time for the rest of our life unless we reversed the downward trend of abysmal leaders. Despite the apparent warnings from some chief of police to the men to stop illegal checks on our road for no other reason than to collect family support and maintenance of their vehicle, no appreciable progress has been made. Actually the order was contradictory, and reversed after some brave policemen’s grievances besieged the House.

The soldiers saw it as lucrative check points and mounted their own and so are the joint patrol forces. It used to be the area boys that demanded commission from traders. Well, no more. The armed robbers have learned some lucrative business also. Consequently, bribes and taxes are now competing for limited returns on food that should be tax-free compared to other goods and services. Governor Obi had to put his foot down in Anambra at one point when militants demanded that he kept Federal money while local taxes were their jurisdiction.

If there is anything to learn from precedent about oil; in the early 70s Pierre Trudeau refused to pay Alberta’s demand for oil price from the rest of Canada. They would rather sell to USA for world price. Trudeau labeled their Premier, “Sheik” Lougheed. Albertans were furious about the price the rest of Canada paid, so they said: Let the Eastern naughty person Freeze to Death. Today, the argument has changed because world price reduce local consumption. Alberta got a negotiated price then and saved into Heritage Fund; part of which was later used to cushion recession.

We are not sure if there is any reasonable person in Nigeria today that can vouch for the money that will be saved if oil deregulation comes to Nigeria. So the farmers, any middle class left and the Nigerians that need, not want, petroleum for their daily activities have nothing to gain from a fund that would be saved if deregulation is implemented in Nigeria. The fund like others will suddenly disappear into pockets, instead of ameliorating environmental damage done in the Niger Delta and other oil producing areas that have lost fish farming. As a result, no matter how much sense it makes, like every theory that has worked elsewhere, it is fruitless at home.

The expectation is if Northerners get natural resource like oil blocks, there must be a reciprocal benefit to the South. Nomads eking out on arid land for greener pastures southwards are not the oil beneficiaries. They are let loose by license to graze any land at others’ expense. Nomads are groomed to prevent revolts at home or become Trojan horses for their mission southwards. Well, they head the Arm Forces to keep us united, stole our Hausa kin and Middle Belt is next.

Bribes, taxes, farming and oil deregulation on killer roads are volatile mix in our Country. Since we have been begging God to come down and save us and there is no relief in sight yet, we may as well help save ourselves. We do not need to wait for the North to feed us in the South.

by: Farouk Martins Aresa

We won't bow to Arabs like Hausa/Fulani nuts. We still have arable land in the south and we are still the biggest producer of many food crops. We don't need Arab. The sultan of sokoto might be looking for a way to make us give up our culture and lifestyle for that of the Arabs but he has failed woefully and their secret is in the open all over southern Nigeria.

Any foods that can be found in the sharia North can also be found in northern Benin Republic and northern Cameroun. . . And we are in Ecowas, so no biggie.

Besides, most food is grown in the Middle Belt which is now part of the New South.

is it cattle that they are making noise over?

Im evern tired of them taking their cattle every causing disputes its about time southern Nigerian farmers start doing big business in grazing cattle.

Artificial insemination of cows- things like that

Is the North actually food sufficient? How come their people are the poorest even in terms of nutritional status? The calorie intake there is very low according to UNDP records

Problem is, apart from Lagos, very little economic activity goes on in the entire South of Nigeria.
In fact, apart from Lagos, where else do you have that kind of food demand?
The rulers of most of the states (except Lagos!) are all PDP surrogates, stuck on the lucre of federal money, available to loot and share.
State governments need to invest in mechanised farming, create co-operatives to grow the domestic farming activity. But do they know or care? They're slaves of Abuja.

AjanleKoko:

Problem is, apart from Lagos, very little economic activity goes on in the entire South of Nigeria.
In fact, apart from Lagos, where else do you have that kind of food demand?
The rulers of most of the states (except Lagos!) are all PDP surrogates, stuck on the lucre of federal money, available to loot and share.
State governments need to invest in mechanised farming, create co-operatives to grow the domestic farming activity. But do they know or care? They're slaves of Abuja.

that is why the country needs to be restructured to 'force' the different regions to stop being slaves o abuja.

AjanleKoko:

Problem is, apart from Lagos, very little economic activity goes on in the entire South of Nigeria.
In fact, apart from Lagos, where else do you have that kind of food demand?
The rulers of most of the states (except Lagos!) are all PDP surrogates, stuck on the lucre of federal money, available to loot and share.
State governments need to invest in mechanised farming, create co-operatives to grow the domestic farming activity. But do they know or care? They're slaves of Abuja.

You may be wrong. The scacity of meat was felt as far as Owerri. Since the price went up, every thing else was in higher demand raising price of frozen chick, fish etc. It only takes one or two items.

But why depend on Togo or Benin when we can grow and raise our own food as we used to with enough to feef the rest of West Africa. We are just encouraging blackmail pure and simple by being complacent.

sjeezy8:

is it cattle that they are making noise over?

Im evern tired of them taking their cattle every causing disputes its about time southern Nigerian farmers start doing big business in grazing cattle.

Artificial insemination of cows- things like that

Tot you don't care what Hausa/Fulani does. Now you are tired of their cattle. It seems you added two yrs last nite. am impressed you hv started using ur lil brain. More grease to ur elbow

@ezeuche, where are you? come and have a piece of the northern bashing.

AjanleKoko:

Problem is, apart from Lagos, very little economic activity goes on in the entire South of Nigeria.
In fact, apart from Lagos, where else do you have that kind of food demand?
The rulers of most of the states (except Lagos!) are all PDP surrogates, stuck on the lucre of federal money, available to loot and share.
State governments need to invest in mechanised farming, create co-operatives to grow the domestic farming activity. But do they know or care? They're slaves of Abuja.

the very thing that makes southrners knock northerners is what will act against us in this case
since a large swath of northerners are not into education - their livelihood is agriculture. this is also line with the fact
that the average northerner is not chook eye nd is content to subsist on the meagre/ slow returns that traditional farming methods yield.

come down south -- everyone is going to school, hustling - who wants to work in a farm? thats old school and so on.
see people are even talking about importing food rather than growing it - [which shows how most of us regard farming.] - which sounds like mortgaging your country' future - one global food crisis and the country is dead

AjanleKoko:

Problem is, apart from Lagos, very little economic activity goes on in the entire South of Nigeria.
In fact, apart from Lagos, where else do you have that kind of food demand?
The rulers of most of the states (except Lagos!) are all PDP surrogates, stuck on the lucre of federal money, available to loot and share.
State governments need to invest in mechanised farming, create co-operatives to grow the domestic farming activity. But do they know or care? They're slaves of Abuja.

Dude mehn, you are kinda ignorant!!

Do a little travelling mehn. What I see in Lagos is poverty, poverty, poverty. There is so much poverty and squalor in Lagos. I don't see that in most other states of the south, especially those of the south south and south east. Please travel a bit before squealling gibberish!!

PapaBrowne:

Dude mehn, you are kinda ignorant!!

Do a little travelling mehn. What I see in Lagos is poverty, poverty, poverty. There is so much poverty and squalor in Lagos. I don't see that in most other states of the south, especially those of the south south and south east. Please travel a bit before squealling gibberish!!

Do not let sneezy or sneez read the highlighted. How can you down grade his lagos/SW in this manner?

AjanleKoko:

Problem is, apart from Lagos, very little economic activity goes on in the entire South of Nigeria.
In fact, apart from Lagos, where else do you have that kind of food demand?
The rulers of most of the states (except Lagos!) are all PDP surrogates, stuck on the lucre of federal money, available to loot and share.
State governments need to invest in mechanised farming, create co-operatives to grow the domestic farming activity. But do they know or care? They're slaves of Abuja.

Na real ignorance and lack of exposure dey worry you, Very little economic activity goes on outside of Lagos?

Na wa o, all these lagos boys need to do some travelling, economy dey onitsha, warri, benin, PH, Aba, Owerri to name a few in the south so werrin you come dey yan?

LAgos is def bigger but if your idea is that anyway apart from lagos is a village abeg leave that dirty Mushin and start travelling around the SOuth you silly boi

LMAO

Offtopic
Is Ajanlekoko not a woman??

These topic is QUITE INTERESTING!!!!!!!!!!

We should realise that this is purely demand & supply transaction, while they supply they have exchange for the payment they receive which they should redeploy into the food production. I hope they are not misled, they will inturn starve also, Hahahaha. We take our money and buy elsewhere, maybe from Cameroon or even important from Europe!!

ogilvy2009:

These topic is QUITE INTERESTING!!!!!!!!!!

We should realise that this is purely demand & supply transaction,  while they supply they have exchange for the payment they receive which they should redeploy into the food production. I hope they are not misled,  they will inturn starve also,  Hahahaha. We take our money and buy elsewhere, maybe from Cameroon or even important from Europe!!

i thought the facking strike waz over? Was in the market ydaz and I bought everything for the normal price. . . The strike is nonsense and wont achieve anything. no1 is even talking about it except NLanderz.They need our cash just as we need their cash crops. . .

Guard 18 and plantoon 18 ,same person?

rhymz:

i thought the facking strike waz over? Was in the market ydaz and I bought everything for the normal price. . . The strike is nonsense and wont achieve anything. no1 is even talking about it except NLanderz.They need our cash just as we need their cash crops. . .

People will never learn. This is why birds never tell one another that a stone is coming. If they do, instead of taking off, they will argue with, and blame one another because one has red and the other green feathers. What the hell, the strike is over, so forget it. Then we deserve to staff!

AjanleKoko:

Problem is, apart from Lagos, very little economic activity goes on in the entire South of Nigeria.
In fact, apart from Lagos, where else do you have that kind of food demand?
The rulers of most of the states (except Lagos!) are all PDP surrogates, stuck on the lucre of federal money, available to loot and share.
State governments need to invest in mechanised farming, create co-operatives to grow the domestic farming activity. But do they know or care? They're slaves of Abuja.

I am very surprised that you can make such a statement. The backbone of the non-oil domestic economy is agriculture and the processing of the output thereof.
Consequently, the other areas are fairly self sufficient as far as food crop production is concerned
Furthermore there is certainly no need for the stae governments to invest in farming as this should be left to the private sector both domestic and foreign. What the state governments can do is to make land cheaply available ffor those who want to invest in agriculture.