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Are We Doing The Right Thing Importing These Sort Of Foreign Farmers? By New York, United States
I feel a personal loss and disappointment, as I have become aware, or as I have learned that, President Obasanjo has offered ringing endorsement, to the stampede by some state governors in Nigeria, to import foreign farmers to Nigeria, I think the idea of importing foreign farmers is a very bad one, in particular, these peculiar white farmers from Zimbabwe and Southern Africa, given their antecedents or history of land-grabbing practice, practiced with the support of the hitherto apartheid and minority white regimes in Southern parts Africa; If we must import foreign farmers, why these ones, with racial discrimination baggage? Why these ones, who made our brethrens and our African cousins in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa landless?
There are two key issues of paramount importance here, first, we have indigenous farmers in Nigeria, all we need, are new policies, new attitude, new and reinvigorated local, state and federal policies toward agriculture, including injection of sourly needed funds by the private and public sectors… Agriculture and food production is subsidized everywhere.
All levels of governments in Nigeria need to see agriculture, as a matter of priority, there need to be massive investments in agriculture, there needs to be massive infusion of local, state and federal subsidies into agriculture and food production, this is what the governments of the countries, in the rest of the world have been doing and still does. Secondly, the idea of importing foreign farmers into our agricultural sector and or food production, says a great deal about us Nigerians, it says a lot about us, as a country, especially us, as being the famously most populous black country in the world.
Now that we are importing foreigners, why did we have to import white Zimbabweans with their unsavory antecedents in Southern Africa? When Baba Iyabo was president over some twenty years ago, he actually opposed apartheid and all forms of oppression and dehumanization, the land-grabbers that we are now glad to import, are the most succinct reminders of the vestiges of apartheid, slavery and colonialism and other types of usurpation of African rights, visited on us by outsiders.
These farmers, were recently, the tools of harassments of president Mugabe, used by America and Britain in their campaign of calumny coated and couched, in human rights and election irregularities, which were being alleged as cover, these farmers’ “cause” have been the singular excuse for the intimidation and humiliation of Mugabe, human rights and fair elections, as important as they are, and as abused as they are elsewhere, are not the real reasons for America and Britain joint desire to see a regime change in Zimbabwe.
Some Africans and their foreign friends may pretend not to know, but the burning issue in Zimbabwe, South Africa and all of Southern Africa, is land redistribution. Land redistribution should be the focus! This is an issue of justice, equality and fairness, that the Americans and the British, have refused and neglected to address, ninety percent of Africans in Southern Africa are landless, courtesy of colonial land-grabbers, which are the same people that Nigeria has now decided to provide succor. How can this be a good policy, in any way?
According to a recent article in The New York Times, land redistribution is like a matter of life or death in Zimbabwe town of Gabon, all along, the average Zimbabwean have waited for democracy and freedom from white minority misrule, to affect the issue of land ownerships, but that has not happened. The New York Times recounted how 9 out of every 10 acres of commercial farmland remain in the hands of a few white farmers, this has created intense conflict overland in Southern Africa, as white minority government and system, denied Blacks property rights, and these Blacks remain landless; see http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/06/international/africa/06AFRI.html?hp “African Quandary Whites Lands vs. the Landlessness of Blacks.
I understand the trite international relations axiom, no permanent friend or enemy, only permanent interests, in the pursuit of economic or diplomatic national interests, yes, but, I have yet to see any Jews invite avowed Nazis as dinner-mates or houseguests! How soon do we Africans forget? We forgive and forget slavery, colonialism, subjugation and dehumanization that is our history? Those who forget/ignore history are bound to repeat it? How can we forge the very recent and continuing struggle in the Southern part of Africa? Southern Africans are still landless, they still have no economic freedoms, just limited political control… there is “boiling impatience” over all these and imagine now, Nigeria, the former brothers keeper, appearing like a vulture cashing-in on the miseries, of our Southern African cousins, and rehabilitating white minority land-grabbers.
White farmers displaced, by the sins they committed, are being protected by us? Ruthless business. I also know that we are in a so-called global village now, even a very shrunken global village, but shouldn’t there be areas in the Nigerian economy that is our-near-exclusive preserve? What do we say of a country that rely on foreign farmers for national food security? The list of the areas of our agric and food production being given to these farmers are just endless, cattle ranching, poultry, fishing, etc. What food can Nigerians grow? I will be the first say that farming has been changing for decades, farming has become very much more mechanized and a sophisticated undertaking, with every aspect now becoming more and more technological; But, who is to say that Nigerians are not equal to the task and therefore ready to grab-the-bull-by-horn to mechanize, commercialize farming, while using the most up-to-date technologically advanced farm tools and implements? For agriculture and food production.
Agriculture and food productions is a national security, it is strategic sector, to allow these white farmer these fundamental and very pervasive roles in our economy, is to say the least, very worrisome; I am sure that those in our governments, states and federal are all familiar with the national security implications.
All we need to do is, involve our agriculture specialists and Nigeria surely have uncountable agriculture experts, Nigeria used to have agric extension services, Nigeria used to have River Basin Authorities, Nigeria used to have International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Nigeria had numerous universities of agriculture as well…. Are these all useless without any benefits to Nigeria? Nigeria used to have more than 15 research institutions for agriculture and food production, that have researched everything, from high-yield seeds to tools and farm machineries and equipments.
Where does Nigeria have comparative advantage? Not in agriculture? Not in manufacturing? Not in the health sector? Not in petroleum exploration and exploitation and not even in governing ourselves? Shall we import governors and ministers now? Nigeria definitely have bad governors and minister.
The Nigerian leadership is dire need of reorientation, so that, they in turn, would lead the populace to the promised land. It is very troubling to see the mentality or psychology of the current leaders.... We need attitude adjustments in many aspect of Nigerian life... We need to change from 'oyibo too good ooo' to 'whatever anyone can do, a Nigerian can do better'
Some Nigerian leaders are currently exhibiting unbridled inferiority complex, or what else explains the fact that Nigeria produce excellent doctors, from Nigerian medical schools, good doctors that have proven their qualities in America, Europe, Middle East and everywhere else, Nigerian doctors that stand-up to their counterparts, but, when a Nigerian politician or business leader is ill? He goes to Germany or to the UK or the US.
How about funding the hospitals and medical schools that produces these excellent medical doctors, some of whom are now overseas? Is it not the case, that the human anatomy is the same everywhere on earth? Is it not the case that, all medical schools look at the same anatomy of 206 bones? The difference is steady electricity, the difference is the ultra scan machines, the EEG and ECG and other sophisticated medical technologies that can be purchased and installed for the use of Nigerian medical doctors in Nigeria, instead of the waste of resources for health-junkets meant only for the privileged few.
Now, the same mentality is being visited on farming. Ninety percent of the people in Nigeria can teach a thing or two, about farming to people everywhere in the world, Nigerians for the most part, are farmers, subsistence farmers perhaps, but good farmers. Some Nigerian leaders are now importing farmers, the wrong sorts, no less, importing farmers instead of farming inputs! Instead of importing mechanization and commercialization capabilities, we are importing "ready-made farmers" from Zimbabwe and Southern Africa.
Why do we have this undiscerning consumer attitude? We import every thing, from tooth pick to orange juice, to construction engineers and now, farmers! This led one Olu Awonyinfa to ask, in a Nigerian newspaper recently, whether Nigeria would soon embark on importing Ministers, as he wondered why Mr. Chukwu is not considered skilled and capable enough to run the national football team? Especially, given Chukwu’s good track.
Nigeria has both individual and collective experience in farming, given the right policy and funding, including other incentives, such as subsidies etc, Nigerians can produce abundant food for domestic consumption and surpluses for export! Nigerian specialist in agriculture possess cumulative experience, that could be put to good use, when harnessed through a national policy and collaborative efforts by all. It is one thing, to send some farm technicians, to say, some mechanized farms, to acquire or hone and polish technical skills and newer techniques, but it is quite a different matter, altogether, to import former apartheid farmers, carte blanc, importing these sorts of peculiar farmers with their backgrounds and antecedents surely stinks.
Nigerians are as technically savvy as the next guy! As soon as we create the enabling policy environment and as soon as we have combined harvesters, we can operate them, just as we have learned to drive Sports Utility Vehicles or SUVs and other types of sophisticated luxury cars, it is also common knowledge that our car mechanics in Nigeria, including, the oft-derided "road-side" mechanics, are quick at learning to repair the most sophisticate cars that have ever plied Nigerian roads, this should inform any Nigerian leader at state and federal levels, that our people are capable of operating and or repairing any farm equipments, when and if they are acquired... What then is our excuse for not involving Nigerians in the revitalization of the agriculture and food production sector?
We have both skilled and unskilled agric labor, from the researchers, the agronomist, the food specialist, the general agric graduate, extension services worker to the local farmer etc particularly, at this time of high rate unemployment, should we not be generating employment through agric and food production sectors, revival and revitalizations? Instead of importing rejects of apartheid era farming?
Are we in doubt, as to whether Nigerians know how to operate farm tractors and other machines or equipments? Give them the money and land, instead of carting up land and money for foreigners! Why do we pretend that we need some white Zimbabwean farmers to teach us the position of our noses on our faces? Where is our independence and presence of mind? where is our national honor and sense of self-respect? Why are we in these capitulations? Whoever said that Nigerian civil engineers cannot construct roads, when and if the have the right equipment and policy environment, an environment that does not prefer SAGEM or Julius Berger over the Nigerians? Is it true that Nigerians cannot farm? Nigerians cannot build roads? We cannot manage enterprises and so we deregulate and privatize or sell-off public resources, what exactly can Nigerians do? Govern? Every country on earth, particularly, America, Britain, France etc are busily subsidizing their farmers and agriculture openly! But, Nigeria is relying on white Zimbabwean farmers as saviors and messiahs with goodwill and love for us? They will pour in investment money to rescue Nigerians from national food insecurities?
Why are we cap in hand, begging to be re-colonized? What sorts of investors do we really need? Why are we in the mistaken belief, that our national salvation, somehow, lies in the hands of foreigners and foreign things? particularly, in this case of white Zimbabwean farm imports, with their peculiar baggage and their racially discriminatory practices of land grabbing in Southern Africa? Their unsavory backgrounds, is the sole reason for their displacements and the consequent necessity, to relocating to Nigeria, why will Nigeria provide succor to these sorts of investors? What message is Nigeria sending, on behalf of ourselves and Africa to the entire world? We should not eat our cousin’s vomits.
Nigeria should lead by example as Nigeria has done in the past, even though we have paid a severe and very high price for our audacity, in the fight against apartheid and minority oppressive regimes in Southern Africa; Nigeria should not be in the business of hiring retired land-grabbers and the usurpers of the human rights of Black African Zimbabweans! What message do we send to Zimbabweans and South Africans? If Nigeria must import foreign farmers? Why these ones?
Was this how our ancestors accepted colonialism? And this is deja vu? Why are we in self-deceit, in this belief, that the world loves us? And the world genuinely wants to help us? What happens in say, fifty years from now? Ceding of lands and farming rights to these retired land-grabbers from Southern Africa could be sowing the seeds of re-colonization for Nigerians and indeed, other Africans.
What informs president Obasanjo decision to endorse the importation of these land-grabbers? Thos who applauded president Obasanjo's efforts at infusing Nigerian participation into petroleum exploration and exploitation or into the oil industry, must now be wondering, whether anything has changed, regarding such policy precepts? The oil industry, clearly requires more capital intensive and advanced technological involvement, compared with agriculture, so, why zone agriculture to foreigners, especially, these sorts of foreigners, for that matter? We are hungry for investments, but how far do we want to go? There is insecurity in the land, are we about to import foreign police officers next?
April 2004 |