By John Mayaki
I watched Babajide Kolade-Otitoju on Journalists’ Hangout last week Friday as he documented his trip to Kaduna state, where he interviewed some billionaire farmers. You needed to see these men – if you come across them on the street, nothing about them suggest their paths ever came across money – at least, not in their appearance, yet they are some of the wealthiest individuals in their community – thanks to farming.
According to Otitoju, gaining access to their location wasn’t easy. In fact, he had to be escorted by heavily armed security personnel, because this became necessary in a state just like every other, where farmers live at the mercy of bandits, criminal herdsmen and kidnappers. But even at that, these men have found a way to thrive in farming, making billions from tilling the soil every year. I also understand that their wealth is evident not only in their account balances, but also in their generosity, as they sponsor people on Hajj and also contribute meaningfully to their communities.
This story caught my attention because, despite the security crisis, these farmers refuse to be deterred. Don’t forget that many others could resign to fate, blaming their misfortunes on insecurity or government but these Kaduna farmers are different. They have found ways to navigate their challenges and making serious money from planting maize, beans, millet among others.
This brings me to something personal – for sometimes now, people have reached out to me warning me of the dangers of exposing myself to kidnappers. They say farming is not safe and as such, I should quit it. Of course, I know some persons who abandoned their farmlands and fled the country after experiencing attacks – all of them from Edo state but I have also seen farmers still trudging on in the same Edo state too.
Others complain that even if herdsmen do not destroy their crops, finding workers to work their farmland is a major setback. There was a group of 4 young men who reached out to me, I did advised when they needed me to handle their 10 hectares of farmland – and I told them I was going to hire Hausa or Fulani laborers to assist in their farm, but they immediately rejected and asked me to burry the thought. They preferred to stay out of farming entirely rather than engage Northerners – just imagine that mentality – stereotype and dangerous ethnic profiling.
Often, people ask me how I manage to farm in the face of incessant kidnappings and herdsmen invasions and my answer has always been very simple: be strategic, think of the problems ahead and address them. And for workers, you cannot do but engage the same people you don’t want to see, and then, you can sleep peacefully at night. Of course, there are different types of engagements.
Now, let’s be serious here – farming is a serious business and we must take it very seriously. If you must farm, you must be ready to commit your time, energy, and intellect. For some people, they just assume that farming is as simple as planting maize or cassava today, going home and returning three months later to harvest. I see that as self delusion. If you ask me, I think farming demands patience, commitment, strategy, and constant monitoring just like every other business. And if there is one group of people who understand this well, it is the northerners.
I have seen farmers in the north who constructed perimeter fencing for a vast land measuring 5-to-10-hectare farmlands solely for crops and livestocks. I have also seen those who employ security guards to protect their farms. These are serious farmers who refuse to let challenges dictate their fate. They adapt, they innovate, and they keep pushing forward because life itself is full of challenges, and those who must succeed are those who learn to navigate them.
Conversely, I have also seen individuals in Edo state who fence massive compounds, installed boreholes, employ security guards on the sprawling property and then lock up the space; doing nothing with the space. These are the same people who complain about the high cost of food in the market – rather than cultivate and task the land, they fold their arms and lament, waiting for government patronage. Rather than cultivate vegetables and use their boreholes to ensure year-round water supply, they would prefer to wait for government to come to their rescue while blaming insecurity for everything.
I have said repeatedly that there is nothing stopping Edo State from achieving food sufficiency all year round. Our climate supports the cultivation of every type of food and fruit you can imagine. Instead of practicing irrigation farming, like they do in the north, our people prefer the easy way out: get-rich-quick. The younger generation is even worse, fixated on quick money rather than sustainable enterprise.
States like Niger, Zamfara, Yobe, Nasarawa, Borno, Katsina among others can complain of insecurity and we would understand and, of course, people still farm and transport their produce to other parts of the country. But in Edo state, the common excuse is herdsmen, as though there are no practical solutions to mitigate their menace.
Don’t get me wrong, government has a role to play, and we must put the blame on its table but farmers who are determined can go the extra mile and get things done. That is why I am particularly glad when I saw the investment of Governor Monday Okpebholo in the area of security – both in terms of infrastructure, manpower, training and equipment – to tackle insecurity head-on. I have also seen the governor’s determination to change the narrative when it comes to agriculture – at least, his 2025 budget estimates confirms this optimism. It is my hope and earnest prayers that they translate into reality in terms of real security for our farmers, their investment, and even more importantly, the future of agriculture in our Dear state.
Farming is not just a profession for these Kaduna billionaires just like billionaire farmers elsewhere – it is the backbone of any serious economy. If Kaduna farmers, Niger farmers, Nasarawa farmers, Benue farmers among others can overcome their obstacles and build billion-naira farms, what excuse do we have in Edo state? Let’s go a farming and let’s stop lazing about.
