National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Architect Kabiru Ibrahim,
in this interview, says that his association is mobilising the over 30
million Nigerian farmers into a single formidable group. Excerpts:
Nigerian farmers are not properly coordinated. What is AFAN doing to raise awareness among them?
So we are raising a lot of awareness. We are toeing
So we are raising a lot of awareness. We are toeing
the line of the
transformation agenda of this administration and we are doing
agribusiness. So we are waking people up to pick agriculture as a
business. We are talking with all financial institutions, even
development associations, international financial institutions, the
World Bank and FAO. I told you we are even partnering with the
biotechnology agency. We are working assiduously to make farmers come
together as one, without looking at your religion, race or gender. We
want all the farmers to come under one umbrella. We are not going to
monopolise the knowledge of anything, as farmers we are all equal. What
we are doing as leaders is to provide service. We are not paid any
salaries, we are not going to monopolise anything that comes either from
government, banks, or some grants.
How do you intend to address the age long allegations of leaders diverting grains?
When I was the president of poultry farmers association of Nigeria, there was a year I got 24, 000 metric tonnes of grains from the strategic reserve. I did not approve for myself a single grain. I gave the farmers. I believe that I cannot approve it for myself. The current president of the association allocated to me two truckloads of maize when he got allocation. I had no need for that, so I did not take it. We are going to replicate the same thing in AFAN. We are not going to take anything and keep it for ourselves; we will distribute to the farmers if anything comes to us. Every farmer in Nigeria is under AFAN. Being under AFAN means that they have a stake in AFAN and AFAN is their mouthpiece in agriculture. We will first of all work in such a way that government will be interested in what we do. But certainly we will not be another department in government or ministry of agriculture. We are an NGO and there is no law in Nigeria that says you must be our member. We will have to do something to make them become interested in what we do, that’s all. It is by our action that we will attract everybody and we will reduce rancour between our members.
The commodity association doesn’t seem to be flowing with AFAN.
When I was Vice President in charge of livestock and fisheries, I was selected as the person to talk to all commodities associations and bring them back into AFAN. We had a very useful meeting and everybody was ready to go and be part of AFAN. But some people who felt threatened kicked against that. Now that I am the president, I’m talking with them and even attending some of their meetings. The other day I went to the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, the Groundnut Association was having a meeting there, I addressed them and they were very happy. All of these associations are members of our chapter in grassroots, at the local government, and states.
How many farmers do we have in Nigeria?
I am compiling a compendium of all farmers in Nigeria. I believe by the time we finish, we would have no less than 30 million farmers in Nigeria. If all those 30 million farmers are talking with the same voice, and we all accept to pay a certain token, for registration as farmers, if 30 million brings N200 each, if you collect that in one pool, how much is that? Do we really need government to help us publicise what we want to publicise if we have that kind of money? So if you give us time you will hear about us. I didn’t tell you I was the president of AFAN, but you came to me. I don’t know where you heard that I was the president and you are here today. If you see that plague there (pointing at the table), Obafemi Awolowo University gave me. I couldn’t go but they sent it to me and it was brought to me in this hotel today. That’s why I’m displaying it here. So I am not aware of this noncooperation among farmers in this dispensation. But previously, we made government the centrepiece of our association. I kept cautioning people that you don’t have to do that. I was president of poultry farmers between 2008 and 2012, there was no time I said we were part of any government. We were doing good works and government appreciated what we were doing and they were helping us in their own way and we appreciated it. If this government helps us in any way, we would appreciate it but we will not antagonise government in any way. Because who is government? The people in government are they not farmers? Majority of them are farmers. And if they are not now, tomorrow they will become farmers. So, is in their interest to support us. So we are not quarrelling with anybody. Every farmer you see in Nigeria today is our own. We are all farmers. We have one common denominator-farming. We can only do something that can add value to agriculture. Anybody who comes with anything else is not one of us. We have no animosity towards anybody, and this is the way to go. We will have a very strong farmers’ association if we do this.[SOURCE: DAILY TRUST]
How do you intend to address the age long allegations of leaders diverting grains?
When I was the president of poultry farmers association of Nigeria, there was a year I got 24, 000 metric tonnes of grains from the strategic reserve. I did not approve for myself a single grain. I gave the farmers. I believe that I cannot approve it for myself. The current president of the association allocated to me two truckloads of maize when he got allocation. I had no need for that, so I did not take it. We are going to replicate the same thing in AFAN. We are not going to take anything and keep it for ourselves; we will distribute to the farmers if anything comes to us. Every farmer in Nigeria is under AFAN. Being under AFAN means that they have a stake in AFAN and AFAN is their mouthpiece in agriculture. We will first of all work in such a way that government will be interested in what we do. But certainly we will not be another department in government or ministry of agriculture. We are an NGO and there is no law in Nigeria that says you must be our member. We will have to do something to make them become interested in what we do, that’s all. It is by our action that we will attract everybody and we will reduce rancour between our members.
The commodity association doesn’t seem to be flowing with AFAN.
When I was Vice President in charge of livestock and fisheries, I was selected as the person to talk to all commodities associations and bring them back into AFAN. We had a very useful meeting and everybody was ready to go and be part of AFAN. But some people who felt threatened kicked against that. Now that I am the president, I’m talking with them and even attending some of their meetings. The other day I went to the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, the Groundnut Association was having a meeting there, I addressed them and they were very happy. All of these associations are members of our chapter in grassroots, at the local government, and states.
How many farmers do we have in Nigeria?
I am compiling a compendium of all farmers in Nigeria. I believe by the time we finish, we would have no less than 30 million farmers in Nigeria. If all those 30 million farmers are talking with the same voice, and we all accept to pay a certain token, for registration as farmers, if 30 million brings N200 each, if you collect that in one pool, how much is that? Do we really need government to help us publicise what we want to publicise if we have that kind of money? So if you give us time you will hear about us. I didn’t tell you I was the president of AFAN, but you came to me. I don’t know where you heard that I was the president and you are here today. If you see that plague there (pointing at the table), Obafemi Awolowo University gave me. I couldn’t go but they sent it to me and it was brought to me in this hotel today. That’s why I’m displaying it here. So I am not aware of this noncooperation among farmers in this dispensation. But previously, we made government the centrepiece of our association. I kept cautioning people that you don’t have to do that. I was president of poultry farmers between 2008 and 2012, there was no time I said we were part of any government. We were doing good works and government appreciated what we were doing and they were helping us in their own way and we appreciated it. If this government helps us in any way, we would appreciate it but we will not antagonise government in any way. Because who is government? The people in government are they not farmers? Majority of them are farmers. And if they are not now, tomorrow they will become farmers. So, is in their interest to support us. So we are not quarrelling with anybody. Every farmer you see in Nigeria today is our own. We are all farmers. We have one common denominator-farming. We can only do something that can add value to agriculture. Anybody who comes with anything else is not one of us. We have no animosity towards anybody, and this is the way to go. We will have a very strong farmers’ association if we do this.[SOURCE: DAILY TRUST]
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