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FOOD BLOCKADE: West and South Outraged Over Blockade of Food, Cattle Coming From North
The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, its South-East counterpart, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, among others, yesterday, condemned stoppage of the supply of foodstuffs and cattle to the south from the north by the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuffs and cattle Dealers of Nigeria.
But Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, advised the Federal Government to address the complaints of the union which had called for payment of compensation of N4.75 billion to its members, being losses incurred during the #EndSARS’ protest and razing of their properties at Shasha market in Oyo State.
It, however, noted that though the union had a point to prove, they were going about it the wrong way, while the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, said it would intervene in the matter, only if it was sure the lives and properties of northern traders would be protected in the south.
This came as the Department of State Service, DSS, also, yesterday, invited leadership of the union for questioning.
There had been scarcity of meat and other food items in markets in the south in the past one week, triggering a hike in the price of the few available.
At press time yesterday, President of the union, Comrade Muhamad Tahir, was still being quizzed by the DSS.
DSS quizzes foodstuffs and cattle dealers president
General Secretary of the union, Ahmed Alaramma, told newsmen at a briefing at Labour House, Abuja, yesterday: “As I speak with you, our president is with the DSS, he is being questioned at the DSS headquarters.”
Alaramma, who noted that the union is kicking against alleged suppression of their members and task force put in place to enforce the strike on the major roads, said from the report received on the strike, their task force was being intimidated by the Army.
He added that they were surprised by this development, saying they wrote to all the security agencies, including the Army as well as the Presidency, before commencement of the strike.
“We reject what the Nigerian Army has done to our task force. We assure our members across the country that our strike goes on. We will never give up,” he said.
He regretted that the Federal Government has not invited them for negotiation, but noted that the Kogi State government invited them.
Alaramma also spoke of multiple taxation of their members and extortion by security agencies, the Army, Police, and hoodlums on the major roads in the south.
He said before a truckload of cows from Adamawa gets to its destination in the South-West, South-East or South-South, the owner would have spent about N250,000 on extortion.
It will be recalled that while declaring intention to go on strike, the union had claimed it lost 151 of its members during the recent Shasha crisis in Ibadan, Oyo State, while properties of their members were destroyed, including 100 trucks.
To this end, it demanded N4.75 billion as compensation, both for the loss of lives and property destroyed.
“Despite our several complaints, and engagements with the Presidency, security agencies and other relevant ministries regulating our operation as contained in our three weeks ultimatum issued on November 7, 2020, our members have continued to suffer intimidation, frustration, humiliation, destruction of their goods and carnage.
“You may recall that during the #EndSARS protest, our members were killed and their properties destroyed. We have demanded compensation for lives and properties lost by our members.
“We have also written to various security agencies of Nigeria on the issue of multiple taxation that is hampering the activities of our members by mounting illegal road blocks at unavoidable and strategic location on federal highway and demand for the payment of illegitimate tax,’’ the union had stated.
Blockheads behind blockade — Afenifere
Reacting to the development yesterday, The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, faulted the move, saying the blockade was done by blockheads.
Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin said: “It is a blockade done by blockheads whose brains cannot understand what will happen to them if the South decides to shut them off essentials from this area.”
A wake-up call for S-West—YCE
On its part, the Yoruba Council of Elders, YCE, said the blockade was a wake-up call to the south.
Former National Chairman of YCE, Dansaaki Samuel Agbede, said: “I want to congratulate the northerners for taking that action because they will wake us up from our slumber.
“Let them take back their foodstuffs and eat it. There shouldn’t be any quarrel about it. But the herders should stop grazing their cattle on our farmlands because it’s their cattle that eat our fresh maize and cassava.”
It’s cold war against the South-West—Agbekoya
In its reaction, the Agbekoya Farmers’ Society described the blockade as a cold war against the South-West, noting that Nigeria is in crisis and on the brink of a collapse.
Agbekoya’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olatunji Bandele, said: “This is practically a cold war against the South-West. When you block the transportation of food items to a particular set of people, you have declared war on such people.
“We don’t have to deceive ourselves again, Nigeria is in crisis and on the brink of collapse. The northerners are ready to overrun the South because they believe they are the owners of Nigeria.
“Now, talking about the food blockage to the South, the South and the South-West governors should have a rethink about how to revamp our farmlands, which the criminal herdsmen and their cattle have destroyed and find ways to resettle the South-West farmers who have been displaced from their villages and farms in the last few years.
“Secondly, South-West governors and our leaders must come together and brainstorm on a grand plan for commercial, mechanized farming and agricultural policy that is farmers-oriented, instead of playing politics with agriculture.
“This is where Agbekoya Farmers Association will be much needed because we have over 20,000 hectares of farmland all over the South-West that can be used for cluster farming for easy mechanization but our governors are not ready to assist Agbekoya farmers with funds, agricultural inputs and fertilizers.
“The Northerners and their leaders have been preparing for this war a long time ago, first they have been assisting their farmers financially, and also making sure they have access to agricultural inputs and fertilizer but South-West governors and our leaders are busy playing selfish politics, instead of helping South-West farmers directly.
“The Federal Government has been playing politics with agriculture since inception of this administration by abandoning cassava farmers in the South-West and favoured northern rice farmers with huge investment in rice farming and rice mills.
“This is the time for the South-West governors and our leaders to wake up and face the reality of food security in South-West.”
Action of northern food dealers strange — Ohanaeze
Reacting in a similar manner, Ohanaeze Ndigbo described as “strange” the decision of northern food dealers to stop supplies to the South.
Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, said: “This is strange. Instead of addressing the complaints from across the country about herders’ destruction of farm lands, they are now threatening to block food supply. It is, indeed, strange and a call for us to look inwards, and be more creative.
“In any case, these goods are perishables. They will suffer more, not the south. There is no food item in the North that cannot grow here in the south.