…wish Nigerians best celebration

…calls on farmers to speak with one voice

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – With less than 24 hours to 2022 Christmas celebration, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Saturday, assured Nigerians of farmers’ resolve to keep producing food for the teeming population and wished Nigerians best celebration of Christmas.

This was contained in a statement signed by the National President, AFAN, Arch Kabir Ibrahim, where the Apex farmers’ body acknowledged that farmers have passed through hard times of recent ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, insecurity, high cost of fertilizers and other inputs to the devastating flooding of 2022.

The statement reads in part, “It is yet another epoch making occasion in our quest for sustainable Food Security and I humbly write to wish you and every Nigerian the best Christmas ever and a prosperous New Year ahead.

“While this wish is almost cliche’ in our society, this year it is very symbolic due to the challenges the Smallholder Farmers, SHFs, had during the most part of 2020, 2021 and 2022 ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, Insecurity, high cost of fertilizers and other inputs to the devastating flooding of 2022.

“The SHFs which form 70 per cent of our membership remain the engine-room of food production in our food system and as AFAN is the umbrella body of all the associations it is pertinent to note the following in trying to build our ‘food system’ back better and to be able to attain food sufficiency and the most desired Food Security in the nearest future: All the farmers in Nigeria should try to speak with one voice on all issues affecting the Agriculture space to be able to make the government more focused and accountable to the people who elected them.

“The farmers should rally around honest and transparent farmer leaders and not opportunists who eat fat on the sweat of all Nigerians to be able to make Nigeria food sufficient and therefore sustainably livable.

“The farmers should create sustainable synergies among them by relating effectively and peacefully with each other regardless of belonging to different commodities to be able to impact the Agriculture Space sustainably.

“The farmers should work in harmony to rid their lot of dishonest members who are perpetually shortchanging them by working with incompetent and corrupt public servants to swindle them in the oft-repeated dishonest charade of “input distribution” in limited areas in Nigeria.

“The farmers should be financial members of their various associations in order to function properly and join hands with AFAN to become relevant stakeholders in the governance structure of Nigeria’s Agriculture.

“The farmers should work together to elect a government that has the best intention to make Agriculture the backbone of Nigeria’s economy.”

The statement also added that, “The farmers should always strive to be their brothers’ and sisters’ keepers to be more impactful in Nigeria.

“While the list of “Dos”and “Don’t’s” above is not exhaustive I strongly recommend the seven bullets outlined for us all to embrace in 2023.

“I wish you all and all Nigerians a ‘food secure’ Nation going forward.”