‘I’ve never heard of foreigners’ farms in Nigeria invaded by herdsmen’

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chitola Farm Nigeria, and National President, Women in Agriculture Advancement and Sustainability Africa Initiative, Ms. Chi Tola, recently speaks with Stanley Ihedigbo, on agriculture development in Nigeria and its challenges.

Do you think reviving farm settlements in Nigeria will improve the development of agriculture?

Most of the farm settlements in Nigeria were built in the 70s and I keep saying, that one of the challenges we have in Nigeria concerns the government’s lack of continuity.

Until our leaders learned to continue what they met on the ground or what their predecessors started, we will continue to be a waste in this country.

When you talk about wastage, it is not about in the farm settlements, but in every infrastructure in the country.  If as a nation, we believe agriculture is the main thing, we should do the work. I can tell you that the only way out for Nigeria to combat inflation in our economy is to invest hugely in the agriculture sector.

And if something is not done fast in the agriculture sector, the time is coming when those who are siphoning the commonwealth that ought to be used for important projects will not be able to buy food to eat with their money.

Imagined what will be the situation in the whole country.  That’s telling us that the government has not done enough when you talk about agricultural development. When you compare agricultural activities in Nigeria to the neighbouring African countries, like Ghana, Ivory Coast, the Benin Republic, and others.

The likes of the Shonga Farm settlements in the Benin Republic are doing a great job, to help in improving agriculture development in that country.

While in Nigeria, we have better farm settlements or farm projects that just need a little funding and support. Any government that comes on board, will abandon what they met on the ground and will start new projects, not minding the sources already invested in those ones.

This shows we do not take proper management seriously in this part of the world.  For example, as a government, you should continue what is on the ground for the benefit of the people. Even some government comes in and repackaged the former ideas and goes somewhere or the governors’ village to start something. It goes on for years and in the end, there will not be any meaningful thing done in the previous projects.

Like the farm settlements, when people see that the government is not doing anything to them, they start encroaching on it or taking back what they feel belongs to them.

I remember very well, back in those days when we were growing up, there was a rubber plantation in Ikenne in Ogun State, and it was a wonderful place to visit.

When we were in secondary school, we go there for excursions and all types of structures were in place for a lot of activities that help lives.

It is unfortunate that today, the rubber plantation and other wonderful farm settlements are nowhere to be found.

Looking at the challenge of insecurity in the country, do you think the issue of farm settlements, will be a good idea?

The truth of the matter is that people will want to go into farms settlement because of its benefits and what they probably need which is security.

Back then, farm settlements are like a village, where there are schools, clinics, and I mean ones managed by white folks.

Agriculture production was in every corner of the country, and some have been exported to other countries which go away or contributed to the improvement of the economy.

But today, it is a completely different story of the everyday killings of farmers by herdsmen, bandits, and kidnappers. These killings have resulted in many farmers abandoning their farms for safety, and it contributed to the high cost of food in Nigerian markets.

Can we say for now, because of the security situation, reviving and creating new farm settlements should not be considered?

How many people would like to go to a place, where they are not sure of security? When the farm settlements were well managed, food was available in every corner of the country, prices of agricultural produces were cheap, and the government earns foreign income through exporting.

Also, inside the farm settlements, what makes a town was there and you don’t need to come to the cities. Can any of the current government give the people such development?

Farm settlement is a very great idea but right now, the kind of situation we have in place, makes it impossible.  There is a huge security challenge facing the country and it is really affecting agriculture production in Nigeria, not in small measure.

Also, it is very important to note that the availability of farm settlements will help to sustain economic well-being by reducing the unemployment rate, food shortage, insecurity, and other social vices.

It will help youth equipped with the essential skills they need to feed themselves, assist others, invest in their future, and aid the nation economically.  With enough farm settlements in the country, it will go a long to regulate the prices of food in Nigeria.

Are you aware that the Shonga Farm settlement in the Benin Republic you mentioned earlier was the initiator of a Nigerian?

I know the man is a Nigerian and as a country, we are our own problem. Look at that man who went to the Benin Republic, to establish one of the best farm settlements in Africa. While in Nigeria, a sitting governor then went to Zimbabwe, to bring white farmers that were sent out by President Robert Mugabe.

Like I always say, we don’t value what we have, and the Nigerian system will not support a Nigerian concept because; there will not be any back cut or individual gain.

We have a system where it is about individual gain not for the people’s benefit. When they bring some so-called foreigners, they understand the system and they are ready to spend any amount to settle any individual that matters.

Some of the foreigners know what we have in Nigeria and are ready to bribe those in authority to get what they want. I can tell you that those foreigners value what we have as a nation more than we, Nigerians, and they never lose any of their investment in Nigeria.

Like the governor that brought the white Zimbabwe farmers into Nigeria soil, supported them with enough funds, can still settle such farm settlements for Nigerians to manage.

The governor will not, rather he supported the foreigners who come in and take over our land, paid Nigeria army, and policemen to guard them, and even guard their farm settlements as well.

They will produce and sell to Nigerians at their prices because we do not have a choice.  Also, our government does not have a choice, because they have collected all the so-called foreigners’ profits through a back cut or bribe.

Presently, I know many farm settlements owned and managed by foreigners in Nigeria, and I am not sure any of them have been attacked by herdsmen or bandits. But I know a Nigerian who has made money oversea, who came to set up farm settlements to support the country, herdsmen invaded his farm and killed him.

Tell me, if the Zimbabwe white farmers and other foreigners’ farms operating in Nigeria are in the sky or immune to herdsmen or bandits’ attack.

On Shonga farm settlements in the Benin Republic, I met the Nigerian, a Reverend father who managed the centre and, he is a man full of knowledge and creativity. People come from Europe, America, and Asia to learn from him.

Just imagined, if the government was able to support him when he came to set up such a project in Nigeria, it would have been a tourism centre for us. If you visit there and see the number of foreigners that go to the place to learn one thing or another every day, you will weep at what Nigeria missed.

Looking at what is happening in agriculture development, what is the way forward?

My prayer is God should give us leaders with vision. We talk about grassroots farmers and government interventions, I had the opportunity of meeting a couple of people, who supposedly benefited from the Covid-19 intervention fund.  There are small-scale farmers that were really affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

In one of the groups I belonged to, I could count over 147 of them that were no more doing anything meaningful. Meaning that their businesses are dead but all they needed was just N100, 000 to sustain it.

You will be shocked that some of them were given N20, 000 and what can that amount do for them? The majority of Nigeria farmers don’t believe in the system, and they are just trying to survive.

You are into mushroom farming and how is the business?

The truth of the matter is that mushroom is not a popular Nigerian meal, compared to other farm products. Mushroom cultivation is very lucrative, and it gives you 100 percentage returns on investment if everything goes well.

As a mushroom farmer of over 15 years, I will always be a mushroom farmer any day. Again, you are adding value to the agricultural sector and making a profit.

I will encourage young Nigerians to go into mushroom farming. It is a very good alternative to protein food and people are going for organic agriculture products, reducing consumption or intake of red meat.

We do not export our fresh or dry mushroom products but we add value by packaging them. My advice for anyone who wants to go into mushroom farming is that the person should get proper training from a certified grower,  in order to be able to add value and make a profit.