Where is AFAN of Kwanar Dangora

Where is AFAN of Kwanar Dangora?

Abdullah Musa

We may start with some definitions, so that the reader who is not familiar with the acronym and the name of the town in the title may be rightly guided. AFAN means ‘All Farmers Associations of Nigeria’. Without reading their constitution, my assumption is that it is an umbrella organization comprising all associations that have one type of farming or the other as its main objective. The objective may not be in the farming itself, but in promoting the welfare of those engaged in it. The basic welfare might be to make its practice easier, if not more profitable.

As for Kwanar Dangora, it is a small town on Kano to Zaria road. It is about eighty kilometers from Kano; and part of it is said to be in Bebeji local government area, and another part in Kiru local government area, all of Kano State. It is possible now it has been ceded fully in one of them. Kwanar Dangora should be known to any Hausa man who listens to zabi son ka, a radio program that carries greetings between members of a zabi son ka club. In such zabe, there was one lady called Ladin buga duniya Kwanar Dangora who featured very prominently. Later it came to be read as if it was simply Ladi herself who was bugun duniya all for herself. There was in fact a dispenser at Tudun Wada Dankadai, (A local government head quarter in Kano State) who was nicknamed as buga duniya. For further details, the reader may wish to take a trip to Kwanar Dangora.

Our interest on Kwanar Dangora is not on what Ladi might have or not have done. It has to do with one ‘ex-convict’ of Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison. This ‘ex-convict’ now lives in Kwanar Dangora, the town of his birth. I put his appellation in commas because were you to enquire from the keepers of the said prison, that is even if I were to disclose to you his name, you would definitely not find him in their records; nor would you see his picture in their ‘hall of fame’.

I refer to him as ex-convict because that was how he once referred to himself. It was a year when he was residing in Kano city without any means of livelihood, and nobody trained him in any profession, save traditional farming which was not a business to practice within Kano City. That particular year was the year in which former Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Rimi and company were incarcerated at KiriKiri for reasons best known to the soldiers of the time.

After the passage of time, supporters of the likes of Rimi started to call for demonstration so that Rimi and company could be released. When our subject of discussion was informed of the need for him to participate in the demonstration, he said all his life he had been in ‘Kirikiri’ and nobody had called for demonstration in order to free him; so why should he care for Rimi, who was just a new entrant? His, (our subject’s) kirikiri was just a situation of extreme difficulty.

Before leaving Kano for his village, he had once worked as cleaner in a bank. He did well, acquiring a Vespa Scooter amongst other goodies. Somehow the honey did not last. He either left the job or was sacked, at the end of the day he had to go back home and the farm must be his surest means of survival. It is for his sake that we want to know if there is AFAN in Kwanar Dangora! Phew! What along detour you may say! I apologize. But how else could you have known of Ladi buga duniya?

This farmer phoned me some weeks back soliciting my help to procure cheap fertilizer. If I had said out rightly that I could not, he could have been offended, for he knew that at one time I was engaged by the present administration of Kano State to serve a particular purpose, but I had since completed that assignment. If all who had at some time in their lives served government in one capacity or the other were to come to believe they should always have preferential treatment, then there would no longer be any preferential treatment because of the high number involved. That would be good riddance of a bad thing (preferential treatment) is it not?

Fertilizer procurement and the varying subsidies associated with it is one aspect of governance that many would feel deserves to be given a close look. The reason is that many are of the opinion that the purpose to be served by the subsidy is never attained. This is because those who are in dire need of the subsidy do not get the fertilizer in the quantities that they desire, if at all. Kano State government gives the highest, or near the highest subsidy in the whole of the federation. It has also gone along way in organizing the farmers in to near-cooperatives with the idea that the distribution may be easier and more effective. However, recent newspaper reports are saying the distribution is now stalled due to some difficulties. In Kaduna State, I think the subsidy has consumed the Commissioner of agriculture who was reported to have been sacked, and the Governor himself is now the sole dispenser!

If you recall the request the farmer of Kwanar Dangora made to me about access to subsidized fertilizer, it was not that I did not make any effort to help. I went to the State’s Ministry of Agriculture in company of a party stalwart. But could you imagine, the corridor leading to the office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry was filled with ‘farmers’, to the extent ba ma saka fartanya! There were ‘farmers’ in the form of thugs; ‘farmers’ in the form of petty contractors; and ‘farmers’ in the form of women ‘yan jama’iyya! All of them were there to collect their allocation; and do not doubt it, they were going straight to the ‘farm’ where allocation slips are sold. After all are the farm products not going to the market in the end?

Many said governments have no business being in business. To ka gani dai! Here is a good intention, but because economics is involved, its law must be respected. A good will go to one who can pay its price. It does not usually go to the needy who is weak. My ‘ex-convict’ farmer may have to tarry a little longer in his self-created kirikiri because we do not have a system in place yet where what it is due to the weak person will get to him or her without smart ‘yan siyasa waylaying it and directing it where it should have gone naturally: to the rich!

Why is it that this artificial fertilizer cannot be bought by the ordinary farmer? Why is farming the only profession whose output does not pay for its input? The carpenter in the city who makes the set of furniture for the daughter of the Hausa people recovers all his costs plus a tidy profit. The father purchases the set according to his ability; they are in grades. There is no government subsidy to the best of my knowledge for purchase of furniture. In fact the well-to-do send their daughters to Dubai, a time all alone, for them to buy their Kayan daki there!

How much is the landing cost of fertilizer to each State capital in the federation? Most States do have a fertilizer company. What is their production cost per unit, absorbing all costs save the profit mark-up? We would like to know this so that it may be better to produce the fertilizer all at home.

Why is the production of organic fertilizer now highly inadequate? Or is it true as they say that once you start applying manufactured fertilizer then organic fertilizer cannot be effective? So many questions but no answers; may be the answers have all been given at the summit just concluded.

I do not know, but many a times I fail to understand the mechanics of human organization in our country. I developed some ideas about improving agriculture, (are you an agronomist you may ask; well, em, I am not!) so I went to the office of AFAN on Audu Bako Way Kano. The writing was bold, and the rented edifice was new; the location by intersection. When I went upstairs the main entrance was firmly locked with dust covering showing that it had not been opened for quite some time! I repeated the visit, but may be Suna gona! I sought from a friend and obtained the telephone number of chairman AFAN Katsina, and sent him text message that I wanted to work with him and Katsina State government on my proposal. He accepted but I was to make the trip to Katsina to meet him. Before I could do that I saw the list of members of a committee set up by the state government to revive agriculture in Katsina published in a newspaper; the State Chairman of AFAN Katsina was not a member!

What advice should I give the ‘ex-convict’ turned farmer on how to do farming profitably? That he should sell his farm; buy NANFANG and zoom into the city! Bruum! Bruum! Bruum! At the end of each day he should have enough to buy a mudu or two of Thailand rice. What of the resolutions of the Northern Summit on agriculture? Su ta shafa! After all, was he invited?

Abdullah Musa