Agriculture

Agriculture: A Lost Treasure of the North (I)

Faruq Usman Geidam

For many of my generations that are of less than 40 years of age could only be thought in the classrooms, or read through the records that the north once uphold the treasure of Niger-area. Those days were the periods of down-to earth heaps of groundnut sacks known as DALAR GYADA in Hausa occupying a vast mass of land ready for exports. The days of overflow where cotton grown in a voluminous quantity like bacteria on its sequence. Sorghum, maize, sesame, gum Arabic, cashew nuts, cassava, wheat, sugarcane and rice were capaciously cultivated and reared livestock sufficiently available beyond the local needs. Invariably, Nigeria was a productive economy with huge-sum revenues from the proceeds of exports of such raw produce. Equally, records shown agriculture provided employment opportunities to more than 70% of the population, and at a time where modern technologies of farming was in the embryo or rather not common in Nigeria then. Its contribution to the GDP was very significant; and at that time the country did not experience double digit inflation neither did it import food items to supplement the ones we had. Nigeria then, enjoyed a gradual but steady economic growth with full potentials to double. All these recurring growth of Nigeria from agriculture was mainly in the exportation of raw not even semi processed produce.

Professors Mike Kwanashie and A.G. Garba of the prestigious Department of Economics A.B.U Zaria jointly added in one of their scholarly papers “the Nigerian Economy: Response of agriculture to adjustment policies” that through exports of cash crops, the country enjoyed a healthy and growing Balance of Payments positions of which the surpluses were extracted by the Marketing Boards and of which the government used for the provision of basic infrastructural systems and equally, in that period, it was the agricultural exports that financed the imports requirements of the emerging industrial sector for the entire country. Needless to emphasize, Nigeria was seen in the vanguard of relevant nations of the world.

Agriculture is unequivocally synonymous to the North. This is because the entire region is predominantly savannah forest with vast mass of fertile arable lands. There are enough rainfall, humidity and sunshine favorable for the growth of virtually all kinds of crops. And as for the animal husbandry, aside the auspicious topography, there are abundant graze lands and many other green plants to feed on. Even before the coming of the Britons, farming was one of the major occupations in the region. It placed the north on a vantage position which earned it a relatively high economic hegemony in addition to the food security, Political and administrative advantages it had over all other regions in the country. Merchants came from a far and near and open up large markets for hides and skins; and as well as exchanging other goods and services that the region has not in sufficient.

From the excess revenues earned from agriculture, a good number of northerners were sent on scholarships to the best of schools in London to acquire western education and capacity development courses irrespective of one’s parental background, religion or tribe. The qualification was just to be a northerner. Attractive inducements were also provided to ensure large participation.

When the North identified its economic potentials in agriculture then, and gave it the adequate attention it deserved, it successfully won the fierce quest of superiority among the other regions that make up the country. The south-west despite their teaming numbers of learned people and their proximity to the sea feared the north and never doubted our economic dominance. The so called entity south-south had nothing to even talk about. Even the western world depended heavily on Nigeria for the supply of agro-allied raw material for their industries, of which a substantial ratio came from the north.

Agriculture; a human friendly activity, whose exploits do not posit any harm or threat to the environment as the oil and gas exploration does. Rather, green plants and green environments were adjudged to be better for a healthy living. Equally, farming is one of the only land related activities which will never runs dry with the passage of time, and which will never have any close substitute even with the rapid development of technology. It only requires improvements of land fertility and other reforms when it diminishes. It remains the only activity with dynamic economic undertones, and it remains the largest employer of labor.

For anything to achieve a remarkable success and overwhelming impacts as the agricultural activities had in the north and Nigeria at large, definitely there must be systemic plans, commitment, will and determination. It all started by the colonial masters since the year 1861; though some scholars argued that all the development plans the imperialist designed was not meant to help Nigeria grow, rather indirectly for their own selfish desires.

Indubitably, during the agro-economy era, Nigeria enjoyed a stable growth in terms of infrastructural development, human capacity growth, security, employment opportunities, social and harmonious living among others. The succeeding years agricultural sector began to suffer neglect due to the discovery of oil, mark the beginning of Nigeria’s economic crises. The hard earned glory and fames of the north begin to erode drastically. What then went wrong to our northern helmsmen to have allowed our treasure in the open to pursue and depended on the oil and gas, a wealth that is not ours? For how long can we continue to depend on the oil and gas revenues for our survival?

The North that was widely regarded to have had competitive advantages in agriculture and Political mastery, have today lost its ancestral priority to economic miracles, which left us with nothing than the gradual and steady failure into the shadow of cast. Probably, our elders and helmsmen have forgotten that he who controls Economy have it all. Power and authority are sustained by the Economic might, of which without one will remain like the growl of a severely wounded lion. A region that was a prosperity darling, has today become an object of ridicule, and been branded as parasitic on the oil rich south. This is a threat that must not be greeted with hand gloves. Our over reliance on the oil revenue is not a guarded secret. It is indeed, too dangerous to depend on, not even to the north, and the rich boastful south, but to the entire Economy of Nigeria.

The north is since retrogressively backward in all forms of media, education, sports developments etc. What was only remaining was the Political leadership which it is still battling to get back. Negligently it thrown away it’s tested and relied treasure which gave it the much needed glory and respects it still enjoys infinitesimally. Before the discovery of oil, agriculture sustained not only the north but the oil rich south then. For more-than six decades, even before 1914, the south was parasitic on the north for its survival. The north had never complained, and instead regarded the plight as a symbiotic relationship even though clearly it was not. The wisdom behind it I believe was on the notion the spirit of unity and peace. But imminently, such idea has long been threatened. This is also another reason why the north should go back to its base. An immediate alternative must be sought earlier enough.

Shocking statistics and empirical evidences on abject poverty pointed its arrow to the north. Malnutrition, unemployment and all other perennial associates of backwardness are threatening our existence. The situation is better described as a thirsty camel that lacks the wisdom to know it carries water on its hump. Summits upon summits were held on the ways to bring back our lost glory, yet nothing good to show, not because the problems and the solutions are not known, but that the will, determination and commitment are not yet with us. Certainly, our steersmen are yet to understand the consequences that may come from the total neglect of agriculture which remains our best source of comparative advantage.

Though the government cannot be completely condemn in terms of policy formations on agriculture, but that the implementation cum the supervision are weak. We have witness different kinds of agricultural intervention programs/policies, ranging from the Agricultural Credit Guaranteed Schemes Fund (ACGSF), Agricultural Credit Support Scheme (ACSS), Nigeria Agricultural Credit and Rural Development Bank (NACRDB), Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), SMEEIS fund and now the CBN N200 billion Agricultural loans. All these were policies designed to enable farmers exploit the untapped potentials of Nigeria’s agricultural sector, reduce inflation, lower the cost of agricultural production (i. e. food items), generate surplus for export, increase Nigeria’s foreign earnings as well as diversify its revenue base.

The emerging world Economic order is to find an alternative energy and production sources, which to some great extent, records of success have beginning to show. This means a gradual paradigm shift from the oil and gas to something more of solar, biomass, wind and hydro energies. Then for how long can the north and Nigeria in general will continue to depend on the oil and gas for its survival?

An enthusiasm is one major thing our nowadays leaders lack. We have been told while in school those nations such as the Pakistan, India, Saudi –Arabia and the likes of other countries known as the Asian tigers were the Nigerian contemporaries. But today Nigeria is nowhere close to even South Africa in terms of development let alone the aforementioned countries.

To the best of my knowledge, all the ministers in charge of agriculture so far in Nigeria were of the northern origin. Surprisingly, their performances were very abysmal, nothing good to talk about. Similarly the governors too, all we see is nothing but charade. Unless all stakeholders do what is called first thing for the last time in agriculture, the north and Nigeria in extension, we are in accident waiting to happen.