- Young farmers resort to Okada riding for survival
Amidst the hardship occasioned by current economic downturn and hike in food prices in the country, farmers, young and old in Osun State, are lamenting the unending invasion of their farms by herders, who brazenly lead their cattle to feed freely on their produce, not minding the repercussion on farmers who have invested their time, money and energy. Toba Adedeji, who explored the situation also beamed searchlight on the efforts of the government at arresting the situation.
Will never return to farming again! You know why? What I experienced in farming made me shed tears. I feel like I am a failure. I never felt that way save when I had carryover in school. Whenever I remember the experience, which is now like a scar in my heart, I never feel good.”
These were the words of 33-year-old Demiji Temitope who has now abandoned farming for the vocations of shoemaking and commercial motorcycle in Osogbo metropolis.
He explained: “I had five hectares of land which I obtained on loan to set up. I equally collected money from a monthly savings group I subscribed to in 2023 for farming.
“I rented five hectares of land along Ogbomoso road very close to Ifon in Orolu Local government Area of Osun State to grow maize and cassava. When the time of harvest drew near, I went about scouting for buyers with high hopes of financial rewards. Unfortunately, that was when tragedy struck me.
“Herders came with their cattle and invaded my ready-to-harvest produce. They ravaged and plundered the whole farm and went their way. When I arrived the farm the following morning with a buyer, I nearly passed out. The shock I experienced was beyond what I can express. For the first time in my entire life, I felt like a failure.”
Temitope said after the incident, he was forced to look for alternatives sources to raise money to repay the loans he secured for the farm.
31-year-old former farmer, Tunde, also narrated his ordeal on how his farm was plundered by marauding headers who destroyed the farm few weeks to the harvest, forcing him to abandon the farm to become a commercial motorcyclist.
Similarly, in February 2024, some herders in Kajola village in Atakunmosa East Local Government Area of Osun State destroyed hectares of cassava, maize and other crops plantation.
The incident led to confrontations between some farmers and herders, which forced the former to seek the intervention of Amotekun Corps.
However, attempts to arrest the herders resulted in a crisis, as the suspects engaged the Amotekun in a gun-battle, which led to three of them sustaining injury.
Findings by The Nation revealed herders farm invasion and clashes are prevalent mostly in Ejigbo, Esa-Oke, Ago-Owu, Oke-Ila, Ikire, Kwara boundary amongst other places.
Another farmer, Prince Wale Olayemi, had to abandon farming following the invasion on his 10-hectare maize farmland at Otan Aiyegbaju in Boluwaduro Local Government Area of Osun State.
Olayemi, speaking in a visibly dispirited tone, narrated his ordeal: “I pulled about N1.5million, going to about N2million from my savings to start a farm in my hometown.
“The crops grew well but few days to the harvest, the herders came to the farm when nobody was there; they turned the farm into a ranch and fed their cattle with my harvest; harvest that I have laboured on for months. In few hours, the sweat of about four months was gone.
“The incident broke me, it discouraged me from farming. I left the place unannounced and till today, I have never given farming a second thought. The output I was expecting from that farm should be around N3.5m or N4 million.
He continued, “We are clamouring for food security but the herders remain the major problem in Nigeria.”
Words failed the distraught farmer, as he tried to express his disappointment over the destruction, even as he added that he had engaged about four youths in the farm. The incident led to the loss of the jobs.
Another farmer, Matthew Akinade, berated the security operatives for not enforcing the ban on open-grazing law in Osun State.
Akinade, whose farm is located at Osun State Farm Settlement at Irewole Local Government Area, Ikire, disclosed that he had spent about N1million on the farm, when marauding herders invaded and destroyed the harvest.
He explained that, “I have spent about N536,000 on the farm aside other expenses which I am unable to account for. They destroyed other peoples farm at the settlement too. I planted on five hectares of land. I appeal to Osun State government to intervene and provide security for our farms.
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Pa Fasanmi Simeon who resides in the Ejigbo Community has his farm located at the Inisa Egboro axis which covers over seventy hectares of land.
He grew cashew on about forty hectares while cassava and maize covered about thirty-five hectares. However, the cassava and maize farm, was invaded last week and destroyed. According to Pa Fasamin, over two hundred cows were led into my farm by the herders. It was completely destroyed right in my presence.
“They came with motorcycles, they were armed with weapons. I saw them but I couldn’t run because if I attempted it, they could attack me. I called the chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Osun State Chapter, Mr Bello, he advised me not to resist them.”
The farmer said the farm is very far from any police or security station, the nearest ranging between 9 to 10 miles. The farmer also alleged the Division Police Officer at Ejigbo of security sabotage, noting that he has on several occasions backed the criminal herders against the farmers.
“I used to report the activities of herders to him, he would be playing to their defence.”
The disillusioned old farmer said: “When I complained too much to him, he advised me to look for a local security to watch over my farm. He equally demanded the sum of N100,000 to be used to fuel their patrol van in order to be able check on my farm once in a while.”
He continued: “My farm is a soft target for the herders; they will steal the crops and equally feed their cattle with it.” He recalled that he was once arrested by the police who came from Ilorin, on the allegation that I stole four cows from herders when they were feeding on my farm.
He explained, “There was a time they invaded my farm and I got them arrested; I took them to court and these herdsmen were remanded in prison. The other herdsmen came from Ilorin in a bid to fight back, alleging that I stole cows. I was eventually taken to court but later freed.”
He also added that the herders always invade farms around 12 noon to 6 PM, lamenting further that: “I used to lose about N10m on my cashew farm yearly due to attacks by herders.”
“My output on my cashew farm should be 20 tonnes but it is not possible with the attacks. They made all my efforts to be fruitless.”
“There was a time when the local government chairman in my area came to my farm and said the investment on the farm would be worth N150 million.”
He added, “Despite all my efforts, help is not coming from the security or the government. I am spending all my life savings on the farm. I am a Mechanical Engineer. With all these ordeals, I am almost regretting that I ventured into farming without any help.”
Speaking, the state chairman of AFAN, Mr Wahab Bello, commended the Osun State Government for ensuring that challenges faced by farmers are brought to a minimum, especially on the herder’s invasion of farms.
He said, “The government is trying to address the issue of security; what is needed is continuous meeting with them. There are a lot of plans in the pipeline to address the issue of insecurity in farms by the present government of Governor Ademola Adeleke.”
Osun Anti-open Grazing Law
Recall that Osun State Government under the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in September 2021 signed the Anti-open Grazing bill into law.
The law prohibits a minor from leading animals to graze. It also outlawed the movement of animals from one point to another, except by rail or truck.
“A minor who contravenes the provision of the law has committed an offence, and the guardian or parent of the minor or owner of the livestock as the case may be, shall be vicariously liable upon conviction to a fine of N300,000 only.” The law states.
It further states: “Preference shall be given in issuance of ranching permits to those within or near districts that are landowners interested in livestock business.
“Any herdsman or pastoralist who attacks or threatens to track any farmer, person or commuter whether or not injury is occasioned by the attack shall be guilty of an offence and liable upon conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than one year without an option of fine.
“Conveyance of livestock on foot from one destination to another in the state is prohibited, except such movement is by rail, truck or pick-up wagon and is within 7 am and 6 pm.”
Security operatives interventions
Amidst the ravaging destruction of farmlands and harvest by herders in the state, security operatives, especially the Amotekun Corps and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) have stepped up activities to ensure that farmers enjoy utmost peace in the state.
The Osun State NSCDC Command spokesperson, Kehinde Adeleke, disclosed that the command under the leadership of its State Commandant, Micheal Adaralewa, has a unit called Agro Rangers, which has a good working relationship with both farmers and herders in the state.
Adeleke noted that the State Commandant had visited Governor Ademola Adeleke to demanded for accommodation for the Rangers and for adequate service in farm settlements.
She disclosed that the construction of office accommodation for Agro Rangers personnel in some local government in the state are ongoing and 80percent done by some host communities.
“This simply means that the NSCDC has personnel living in some farm settlements across the state to protect both farmers and their farm produce,” she said.
Adeleke highlighted that, “Amicable resolution of 220 cases of farmland invasion and destruction by herdsmen, out of which 120 involved payment of financial compensation of varying sum of money to the affected farmers by the herdsmen across all formations in Osun State were recorded.”
She added: “It is important to state here that the command is meeting both the leaders of farmers association and Seriki of herdsmen in the state from time to time, for enlightenment on the need for them to co-exist in peace and we also urge them to always tell their people to refrain from any act that could lead to violence, with emphasis on the fact that they must not take laws into their hands.”
Other steps include: “Successful provision of security coverage for a private task force inaugurated by the state government for revenue collection from loggers and farmers operating in the state-owned forest reserves across the state; providing emergency response to prevent illegal activities, such as illegal logging and poaching in rural areas; conducive environment for Agro-allied business to thrive in the state.”
Similarly, the Osun State Amotekun through its spokesman, Yusuf Idowu stressed that the outfit under its new State Commander, Adekunle Omoyele, has intensified its efforts to safeguard farmers from herder attacks and protect farm lands from destruction.
“The Corps has successfully resolved numerous disputes between farmers and herders in the state, fostering a peaceful resolution and warning herders against attacking farmers and engaging in open grazing.”
What Osun Govt is doing to revolutionised food production
The Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, recently unveiled 31 tractors and gave cheques of N118million to poultry farmers to boost food production in the state.
Adeleke speaking at Aisu Junction, Ede, Osun State, also disclosed that his government will distribute 6,000 herbicides, 80,000 cashew seedlings, 8,000 cassava cuttings, 8,000 various vegetable seeds and 500 bags of lime to farmers across the state.
According to him, “We are unveiling 31 newly purchased tractors with full implements for the use of our farmers in Osun State, which is the first phase of this project.
“These tractors will be released to farmers cooperative societies and associations after all necessary administrative procedures have been concluded. This is also in line with the promise made to our resourceful youthful population during the last End Bad Governance protest.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Tola Faseru, also disclosed that “N118,600,000 will be distributed to poultry farmers participating in the Osun Broiler Outgrower Production Scheme (OBOPS). Each of them is sponsored to raise two thousand (2,000) day-old broiler birds to table size within six weeks and the cycle will be repeated continuously and the off-taker will buy back from each farmer.”