alj_harem:

Nchara can you show me a link of the rice fields of which Abakaliki rice is produced from

I learnt it is rice mill rather than Farmland, I might be grossly wrong but I would like to be sure. Thanks

. . . and where does the rice that goes to the mill comes from?

Abakiliki is known for rice farming. There are rice farming communities in Anambra as well and they are into farming big time including yam and cassava production.

Processor sees better fortune in rice cultivation

http://www.nigeriamarkets.org/files/upload/Processor%20sees%20better%20fortune%20in%20rice%20cultivation.pdf

1960s photo of an Abakaliki rice field

http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!276057!0

Obiagu1:

. . . and where does the rice that goes to the mill comes from?

I wonder. So they will just be establishing rice mills without the rice to mill? Some people with their sense.

Nchara, the ogbonge farmer.

@op, make enquiries before submitting to a wrong school of thought. I don't know whether u ve heard of Anam people in Anambra state? These people are natural farmers, they don't ve time like the average Igbo man to engage in trading. They produce half of the yams that are consumed in Onitsha. I did my nysc assignment in Odi Bayelsa state and i was shocked to see dat their land has been taken over by Anambra farmers(Under a mutual agreement). We don't eat foreign rice in my house, rather Achara and Adani rice. The whole of Ayamelum lga in Anambra state are rice farmers. The same thing is applicable to Ogbaru people who predominantly farmers. The people of Isiukwuato in Abia and Abakaliki in Ebonyi states respectively produces 60% of the garri that are consumed in the east. Remember that 70% of Igbo people are subsistence farmers, most people cultivate cassava and yam for their personal use which actually isn't enough for them. I would ve agreed with u, had been u said its not enough for the population in d east. U can aid in containing ethnic bashing in this forum by being civil with ur post.

@nchara if your observant, you would have noticed that i have changed the title of this thread some hours ago to just please the igbos but only you seems hell bent on derailing this thread despite my despite my pleas to you. Infact only you have been have been playing both opposition and defense and my brother it's not good. @ all on from my discussions with igbos, they always explain that why they are not farming is because of stressfull nature of the profession and low prestige accorded to it . It takes less than a hectare of land to run a modern poultry that give u over a million in annual revenue and only about 10 hectares for an oil palm plantation that will put millions per annum in your pockets so is land that scarce in the east? Apart from some heavily populated parts of anambra i really found that hard to believe. Thanks to all contributors so far for being respectfull in their submissions. I guess i might stay back in the north and forget about moving back to the east. @ okstol i'm already in the process of acquiring a large tract of land at igbariam next yr so i'm much aware of them, the article was intentionally meant to be bitter in order to generate the needed responce, once again i'm sorry if i hurt your feelings.

The op, abouzaid=alh harem.the initial post is typical of alj harem and his mischief,cameleon/double speak mentality.it has dawned on him that most people conveniently ignore him on nairaland,thats why he used a new username to start this thread.to the issue of whether the east can feed itself,well to some extent the east can feed itself,abia state for example is an agrarian state where farming of maize,yam is very common in rural communities,ebonyi is well known for rice production.no part of nigeria can feed itself 100 percent,the core north depends on nassarawa,benue and plateau state for yam.some of the beaf/cow consumed in nigeria is even imported from niger republic and northern cameroon.

chuks2612:

The op, abouzaid=alh harem.the initial post is typical of alj harem and his mischief,cameleon/double speak mentality.it has dawned on him that most people conveniently ignore him on nairaland,thats why he used a new username to start this thread.to the issue of whether the east can feed itself,well to some extent the east can feed itself,abia state for example is an agrarian state where farming of maize,yam is very common in rural communities,ebonyi is well known for rice production.no part of nigeria can feed itself 100 percent,the core north depends on nassarawa,benue and plateau state for yam.some of the beaf/cow consumed in nigeria is even imported from niger republic and northern cameroon.

Yeah he is alj harem, mumu

afam4eve is a mod

Odumchi is a mod

All these people are igbos and can see my IP address, why would I post as abouzaid only for my to post against to disclaim his claim.

SMH paranoia go just kill u people

alj_harem:


Yeah he is alj harem, mumu

afam4eve is a mod

Odumchi is a mod

All these people are igbos and can see my IP address, why would I post as abouzaid only for my to post against to disclaim his claim.

SMH paranoia go just kill u people

cow,we know your trademark.

abouzaid:

@nchara if your observant, you would have noticed that i have changed the title of this thread some hours ago to just please the igbos but only you seems hell bent on derailing this thread despite my despite my pleas to you. Infact only you have been have been playing both opposition and defense and my brother it's not good. @ all on from my discussions with igbos, they always explain that why they are not farming is because of stressfull nature of the profession and low prestige accorded to it . It takes less than a hectare of land to run a modern poultry that give u over a million in annual revenue and only about 10 hectares for an oil palm plantation that will put millions per annum in your pockets so is land that  scarce in the east? Apart from some heavily populated parts of anambra i really found that hard to believe. Thanks to all contributors so far for being respectfull in their submissions. I guess i might stay back in the north and forget about moving back to the east.   @ okstol i'm already in the process of acquiring a large tract of land at igbariam next yr so i'm much aware of them, the article was intentionally meant to be bitter in order to generate the needed responce, once again i'm sorry if i hurt your feelings.

It is of no significance to me if you changed the title. The title change is even as cruel and bland as the original title, given your use of the word detest, which also again characterized Igbos falsely. You have already done the deed of characterizing all Igbos as lazy and detestful. I am an Igbo, so I have to debunk your silly characterizations as stridently as I have the time to do.

To begin with, you are clueless and half baked, given the fact that you do not know that farming (that is what your title talks about) is essentially different from poultry production. You are mixing everything up just to smear the Igbo. I have shown you a map of Nigeria (Igboland) and asked you to compare the land available to 30 million+ Igbos with respect to large scale agricultural activities by all of them (since your title talks about all Igbos). I have informed you that Igbo land holding system is fragmentative, such that you hardly find any single person holding several hectares of land in a single location. I am shell-shocked that you did not learn this at UNN in your Rural Sociology or Agricultural Economics class, or even observed it in your sojourn in Igboland. Still, I have posted several articles for you to read and educate yourself; yet you keep on parading your ‘I am-better-and-more-sensible-than-thou’ attitude. If you claim Igbos are not doing something, should you not prove that other Nigerians are doing it and doing it better? Why do you focus on Igbos in terms of agriculture? Is there any human being, even here in the States, who would not say, at first glance, that agriculture, especially crop production, is a hectic vocation?

If Igbos detest Agriculture as you claim, why does every single university in Igboland offer Agricultural courses, in addition to many specialized colleges of Agriculture in Anambra, Enugu Imo and Ebonyi? If Igbo families who have been farming and feeding themselves since Adam have the privilege to obtain large arable land, do you, in your mind, think they will not usurp that privilege? Do you know that a good number of Igbos are buying/renting land in states as far flung as Oyo, Benue, Ondo, Osun, Nassarawa and other places to farm?

Nchara:

It is of no significance to me if you changed the title. The title change is even as cruel and bland as the original title, given your use of the word detest, which also again characterized Igbos falsely. You have already done the deed of characterizing all Igbos as lazy and detestful. I am an Igbo, so I have to debunk your silly characterizations as stridently as I have the time to do.

To begin with, you are clueless and half baked, given the fact that you do not know that farming (that is what your title talks about) is essentially different from poultry production. You are mixing everything up just to smear the Igbo. I have shown you a map of Nigeria (Igboland) and asked you to compare the land available to 30 million+ Igbos. I have informed you that Igbo land holding system is fragmentative, such that you hardly find any single person holding several hectares of land in a single location. I am shell-shocked that you did not learn this at UNN or even observed it in your sojourn in Igboland. Still, I have posted several articles for you to read and educate yourself; yet you keep on parading your ‘I am-better-and-more-sensible-than-thou’ attitude. If you claim Igbos are not doing something, should you not prove that other Nigerians are doing it and doing it better? Why do you focus on Igbos in terms of agriculture? Is there any human being, even here in the States, who would not say, at first glance, that agriculture, especially crop production, is a hectic vocation?

If Igbos detest Agriculture as you claim, why does every single university in Igboland offer Agricultural courses, in addition to many specialized colleges of Agriculture in Anambra, Enugu Imo and Ebonyi? If Igbo families who have been farming and feeding themselves since Adam have the privilege to obtain large arable land, do you, in your mind, think they will not usurp that privilege? Do you know that a good number of Igbos are buying/renting land in states as far flung as Oyo, Benue, Ondo, Osun, Nassarawa and other places to farm?

dude calm down and answer his question.

Now we know that rather than insult and be comparing, what you should be talking about is how our government can maximize the potential of farmland in ala igbo such as Abakaliki rice field and co.

We are all here to learn from each other, no point in insulting

We have corrected him by saying Igbos or easterners are no lazy but just do not like to chose farming as a profession which is ok.

alj_harem:

dude calm down and answer his question.

Now we know that rather than insult and be comparing, what you should be talking about is how our government can maximize the potential of farmland in ala igbo such as Abakaliki rice field and co.

We are all here to learn from each other, no point in insulting

We have corrected him by saying Igbos or easterners are no lazy but just do not like to chose farming as a profession which is ok.

Just shut up. Which Nigerian ethnic group likes farming as a profession? Is the choice of a profession now a tribal thing or an individual thing?

Nchara:

Just shut up. Which Nigerian ethnic group likes farming as a profession? Is the choice of a profession now a tribal thing or an individual thing?

Middle-belters, Fulani and Yorubas

Middle-belt gives 70% of Nigerian food tell today

the fulanis are herdmen

In states like Ondo, Osun and ekiti, majority of the yam, ofada rice etc are produced from there

also you have to think of palm oil plantation, cocoa plantation, rubber plantation along side Obasanjo farm in Ota, cross river etc

As I said earlier it has nothing to do with Igbo per-say

try and comprehend what I am saying here

Igbos are not lazy, they rather go to business or better still be suppliers of those food products rather than be farmers. It is not a bad thing because also not every group in Nigeria would be farmer. We need some people to distribute the food don't we ?

they are equally as important as the farmers themselves isn't it ?

alj_harem:

Middle-belters, Fulani and Yorubas

Middle-belt gives 70% of Nigerian food tell today

the fulanis are herdmen

In states like Ondo, Osun and ekiti, majority of the yam, ofada rice etc are produced from there

also you have to think of palm oil plantation, cocoa plantation, rubber plantation along side Obasanjo farm in Ota, cross river etc

As I said earlier it has nothing to do with Igbo per-say

try and comprehend what I am saying here

Igbos are not lazy, they rather go to business or better still be suppliers of those food products rather than be farmers. It is not a bad thing because also not every group in Nigeria would be farmer. We need some people to distribute the food don't we ?

they are equally as important as the farmers themselves isn't it ?

So what about the majority of rice, Yam, Plantain, Palm oil, produced by Igbos in the East? Is Middle Belt a tribe?
If Yoruba produce that much food, why is food still scare in the West when supplies do not come from elsewhere?

Nchara:

Just shut up. Which Nigerian ethnic group likes farming as a profession? Is the choice of a profession now a tribal thing or an individual thing?

Guy just ignore that cow.I wrote earlier that the abuzaid =alj harem.dont argue with cows.this is just a tribalist thread opened mischieviously.tribalism can never allow for fruitful discussion on this forum.ignore that guy.

Have you for example, heard of such modern Agricultural enterprise as the Abia Palm Oil Company Ltd., the Ogwe Modern Poultry Farms, and the Cashew Complex in Abia?

alj_harem:

Middle-belters, Fulani and Yorubas

Middle-belt gives 70% of Nigerian food tell today

the fulanis are herdmen

In states like Ondo, Osun and ekiti, majority of the yam, ofada rice etc are produced from there

also you have to think of palm oil plantation, cocoa plantation, rubber plantation along side Obasanjo farm in Ota, cross river etc

As I said earlier it has nothing to do with Igbo per-say

try and comprehend what I am saying here

Igbos are not lazy, they rather go to business or better still be suppliers of those food products rather than be farmers. It is not a bad thing because also not every group in Nigeria would be farmer. We need some people to distribute the food don't we ?

they are equally as important as the farmers themselves isn't it ?

We Put Food On Your Table, Hausa Food Vendors Tell Yoruba Community

Sunday, 21 August 2011 00:00

From Martins Oloja, Abuja Bureau Chief (in Akure) News - National





TRUTH about the country’s diversity and interdependence came to the fore at the weekend during the installation of Dr. Deji Akinwalere as President of the Rotary Club of Akure.

Spokesperson of the Hausa community in the Ondo State capital and food vendor, Alhaji Aminu Jubril, who was invited to speak at the ceremony, told the audience in fluent English that without the Hausa and Fulani, it will be impossible to achieve food security in the south west.

At the event, which was attended by the Deji of Akure, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adebiyi Adesida, Jubril said: “This is our planting season in the north west where we bring food to the south west. But then the foods we sell now are from the north central state of Benue. You know we put food on your table. Now, we are planting in the north west where we bring the food. Without the food from the north west, it will be difficult to get all the food items in the south west. We have lived peacefully with the people of Ondo in Akure. Yes, we put food on your table.”

The event featured donation towards the construction of a block of six classrooms in a secondary school at Imafon community, near Akure.

Other dignitaries in attendance were the chairman of the occasion, His Royal Majesty, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinrutan; leader of the Hausa community, Alhaji Mohammed Nalikoro; Commissioner of Works in the state, Engr Gboye Adegbenro, who represented Governor Mimiko; National President of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel among others.


http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58532:we-put-food-on-your-table-hausa-food-vendors-tell-yoruba-community&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

Have you heard of Imo modern poultry Avutu, and Ada Palm company in Ohaji, Imo State?

I am just listing these things to highlight that Igbos as a group have never detested agriculture.

How functional they are at present is a different story (afterall how many things in Nigeria are functional?)

Nchara:

We Put Food On Your Table, Hausa Food Vendors Tell Yoruba Community

Sunday, 21 August 2011 00:00

From Martins Oloja, Abuja Bureau Chief (in Akure) News - National





TRUTH about the country’s diversity and interdependence came to the fore at the weekend during the installation of Dr. Deji Akinwalere as President of the Rotary Club of Akure.

Spokesperson of the Hausa community in the Ondo State capital and food vendor, Alhaji Aminu Jubril, who was invited to speak at the ceremony, told the audience in fluent English that without the Hausa and Fulani, it will be impossible to achieve food security in the south west.

At the event, which was attended by the Deji of Akure, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adebiyi Adesida, Jubril said: “This is our planting season in the north west where we bring food to the south west. But then the foods we sell now are from the north central state of Benue. You know we put food on your table. Now, we are planting in the north west where we bring the food. Without the food from the north west, it will be difficult to get all the food items in the south west. We have lived peacefully with the people of Ondo in Akure. Yes, we put food on your table.”

The event featured donation towards the construction of a block of six classrooms in a secondary school at Imafon community, near Akure.

Other dignitaries in attendance were the chairman of the occasion, His Royal Majesty, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinrutan; leader of the Hausa community, Alhaji Mohammed Nalikoro; Commissioner of Works in the state, Engr Gboye Adegbenro, who represented Governor Mimiko; National President of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel among others.


http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58532:we-put-food-on-your-table-hausa-food-vendors-tell-yoruba-community&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

Exactly, we are still saying the same thing

What the south cannot grow, the north does. It does not mean the yorubas are lazy as well, it just means that what cannot be grown in the south, it can be grown in the north.

alj_harem:

Exactly, we are still saying the same thing

What the south cannot grow, the north does. It does not mean the yorubas are lazy as well, it just means that what cannot be grown in the south, it can be grown in the north.

You are a fool. We are not saying the same thing because when I asked:

Which Nigerian ethnic group likes farming as a profession? Is the choice of a profession now a tribal thing or an individual thing?

You responded to me directly

Middle-belters, Fulani and Yorubas

Middle-belt gives 70% of Nigerian food tell today

the fulanis are herdmen

In states like Ondo, Osun and ekiti, majority of the yam, ofada rice etc are produced from there

also you have to think of palm oil plantation, cocoa plantation, rubber plantation along side Obasanjo farm in Ota, cross river etc

Which means those ethnic groups like farming while Igbos do not. Which means Obasanjo = Yoruba ethnic group. Got it?

The North provides some (meat, tomato, pepper, onions) not all (garri, plantain, fish, palm oil, snail, rice, fruits, etc) food items to the south. They are able to do so not because they love agriculture, but because they have enough land to do so on a somewhat large scale, and also owing to extensive illiteracy, they have lesser options to pursue.

Yams are produced by all regions, except far North
Indeed, most of the beans we eat come from other WA countries, not Northern Nigeria
Most of the rice consumed by Nigerians are imported from Thailand

Nchara:

You are a fool. We are not saying the same thing because when I asked:

You responded to me directly

Which means those ethnic groups like farming while Igbos do not. Which means Obasanjo = Yoruba ethnic group. Got it?

I can see that comprehension is your problem. Ok I would break it down for you

1. Other groups are more ready to go into farming than easterners.

2. Not all food stuff are grown in the south. Items like Pepper, onions etc are north foods

3. This those not mean the SWerners are not farmer but would also eat food produces from other regions. This trade between the North and SW has been going for generation even before Usman dan Folio times and before Nigeria. You can read it up

4. I gave those examples to tell you of some of the farmlands in the SW which is still operational and generating a lot of revenue for the country.

5. The easterners are not lazy only that they are not really responsive to farming compare to banking jobs or businesses.

6. Comparing that to the SW or north, yes those places, you would see farmland everywhere unless you go to the large cities/states like lagos, abuja and kano the capital.

I hope I have made myself clear and stop be paranoid.

alj_harem:

I can see that comprehension is your problem. Ok I would break it down for you

1. Other groups are more ready to go into farming than easterners.

2. Not all food stuff are grown in the south. Items like Pepper, onions etc are north foods

3. This those not mean the SWerners are not farmer but would also eat food produces from other regions. This trade between the North and SW has been going for generation even before Usman dan Folio times and before Nigeria. You can read it up

4. I gave those examples to tell you of some of the farmlands in the SW which is still operational and generating a lot of revenue for the country.

5. The easterners are not lazy only that they are not really responsive to farming compare to banking jobs or businesses.

6. Comparing that to the SW or north, yes those places, you would see farmland everywhere unless you go to the large cities/states like lagos, abuja and kano the capital.

I hope I have made myself clear and stop be paranoid.

Your posts are as senseless as ever. What evidence do you have that the Igbo population go into agriculture less than others? Why are all those motor park touts in the SW not going into farming despite all the available land? Why are all those almajiris and boko Harams in the North not doing same? So because Igbos eat some food from the North, they are not farmers of other food crops? Who farms the oil palm, cassava, plantains, vegetables and fruits that Igbos do not get from elsewhere? Do you know of any Igbo family in Igboland without at least one farmer in it? Between Igbo and Yoruba who are more into banking? I am done with you before you infect me with your stupidity.

All Igbo states are correctly described as agrarian. But the high population densities in many of them makes the little available land unusable for large scale agriculture

Imo state:

Agriculture and Forestry: The Imo State economy depends primarily on agriculture and commerce and the chief occupation of the people is farming. Their cash crops include oil palm, raffia palm, rice, groundnut, melon, cotton, cocoa, rubber, maize, et cetera. Food crops such as yam, cassa va, cocoyam and maize are also produced in large quantities.

http://www.onlinenigeria.com/links/imoadv.asp?blurb=272


Abia State:

Crude oil and gas production is a prominent activity, as it contributes to 39% of the GDP.[7] Representing 27% of the GDP,[7] agriculture, which employs 70% [7] of the state workforce, is the second economic sector of Abia. With its adequate seasonal rainfall, Abia has much arable land that produces yams, maize, potatoes, rice, cashews, plantains, and cassava. Abia also has large crude oil deposits. The manufacturing sector only accounts for 2% of the GDP.[7]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abia_State

Enugu State

:

Economically, the state is predominantly rural and agrarian, with a substantial proportion of its working population engaged in farming, although trading (18.8%) and services (12.9%) are also important. In the urban areas trading is the dominant occupation, followed by services. A small proportion of the population is also engaged in manufacturing activities, with the most pronounced among them located in Enugu, Oji, Ohebedim and Nsukka.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enugu_State

Anambra State

Furthermore, Anambra state is a state that has many other resources in terms of agro-based activities like fishery and farming, as well as land cultivated for pasturing and animal husbandry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anambra_State

Ebonyi State

The people of this state are Igbos with several dialects. The people of Ebonyi State are predominantly farmers. Main crops obtained in this state are palm produce, cocoa, maize, groundnut, rice, yam, plantain, banana, cassava, melon, sugarcane, local beans, fruits and vegetables. Fishing is also carried out in Afikpo.

http://www.icsn.co.uk/page.php?pageID=ebonyi

@alh_harem, ka beri shi, you should not waste your energy arguing with an unrepentant ethnic bigot. @nchara nwoke m, kedu ife na eme gị? Jide onwe gị aka. What's my concern with rural sociology or agricultural economics? When have poultry stop being part of agric? You made a very sensible submission about the fragmentative land holding in igbo land and i supported you by saying that i have seen such in most parts of anambra. Asha80 also suggested that i could counter that obstacle by meeting the owners of the large tracts of unoccupied forestland in nsukka to acquire the land for mechanized farming of which i responded that i intend to do so at igbariam. What's there to fight about? Ok, suggest an appropriate title for the thread and i will rename it just to gain your peace. Jiri ya nwayo na onwero ife eji okwu na ụka eme

The six most staple food crops in Igboland are

Cassava
Rice
Yam
Beans
Plantain
Leafy vegetables (especially ugu)

And of course, meat and fish (though not crops)

None of those come (exclusively, or at all) from the northern part of Nigeria

Yam is grown everywhere in Nigeria but the far north; beans is from other WA countries though imported via northern Nigeria. I give it to them on meat.

I need anyone to prove me wrong.

deleted

Posted by: abouzaid

@alh_harem,     ka beri shi,   you should not  waste your energy arguing with an unrepentant ethnic bigot.     @nchara               nwoke m, kedu ife na eme gị? Jide onwe gị aka. What's my concern with rural sociology or agricultural economics? When have poultry stop being part of agric? You made a very sensible submission about the fragmentative land holding in igbo land and i supported you by saying that i have seen such in most parts of anambra. Asha80 also suggested that i could counter that obstacle by meeting the owners of the large tracts of unoccupied forestland in nsukka to acquire the land for mechanized farming of which i responded that i intend to do so at igbariam. What's there to fight about? Ok, suggest an appropriate title for the thread and i will rename it just to gain your peace. Jiri ya nwayo na onwero ife eji okwu na ụka eme

hehehe!
I support abouzaid on this one. BTW I don't think there is scarcity of land in Igboland for agriculture.
There may not be enough for wastage  but that's it! I don't buy this scarcity of land in the East theory one bit.
Large tracts of land are lying idle in Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi (the areas I'm very familiar with). I don't know about Imo and Abia areas.
I'm also eying farming in the East, and I will find more than enough land for it!

Onlytruth:

Posted by: abouzaid
hehehe!
I support abouzaid on this one. BTW I don't think there is scarcity of land in Igboland for agriculture.
There may not be enough for wastage  but that's it! I don't buy this scarcity of land in the East theory one bit.
Large tracts of land are lying idle in Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi (the areas I'm very familiar with). I don't know about Imo and Abia areas.
I'm also eying farming in the East, and I will find more than enough land for it!

anambra is a bit more thickly populated than imo and abia so it is the same thing.however you know how land issues are in the south east.you really have to negotiate with the owners(both individual and communities) to get land there.

Of course there may be cheaper land elsewhere. Heck there is always cheaper land elsewhere!
Here in the US, you can get 120 acres of land for just $5000. It all depends on the area!
So, the price of land in the East might be a little more than elsewhere but let nobody tell me they are not there.

Onlytruth:

Posted by: abouzaid
hehehe!
I support abouzaid on this one. BTW I don't think there is scarcity of land in Igboland for agriculture.
There may not be enough for wastage  but that's it! I don't buy this scarcity of land in the East theory one bit.
Large tracts of land are lying idle in Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi (the areas I'm very familiar with). I don't know about Imo and Abia areas.
I'm also eying farming in the East, and I will find more than enough land for it!

There is land shortage, as supported by many qualified studies. A simple look in a Nigerian map will answer your question too. In addition, it is worsened by land fragmentation pattern which works against mechanized agriculture. Igbos have enough land for subsistence agriculture but not enough for large-scale mechanized ventures. Those so-called idle land you see in Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi  are how many in terms of hectarage compared to similarly idle land in the North and SW?