It Is Embarrassing For Northern Traders To Block Food Supplies To South-West- Gani Adams

The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Gani Adams, has condemned the decision of Northern traders to stop movement of food to the Southern  part of the country.

Adams while addressing journalists on Friday, said it was embarrassing that the traders from the North would block food supplies to the South-West region of country.

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He noted that the South-West region has been a major market for the produce of the northern traders as over N8bn is spent daily on cow consumption and several billions on foodstuffs.

He described the blockade which had been suspended as a blessing as it would trigger an agricultural revolution in the South-West.

He said, “It is embarrassing for the North to threaten our region with an unwarranted blockade that is of no use to us. I have it on good record that the south spends over N8bn daily on cow consumption.

“It is an embarrassment for the north to think that they are doing the south a favour. I also have figures of the several billions we spend daily on perishable products.”

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The Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and cattle dealers of Nigeria had embarked on a strike action which led to the closure of all routes between the North and South for vehicles conveying cattle and food items.

Such vehicles were stopped from reaching the Southern region.

The Union claimed that the strike is due to the loss of lives and properties that Northerners recorded as a result of the #EndSARS protests and the recent Shasha market crisis in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

Adams said that the six state governments in the South-West could revamp the agriculture sector using the Rwanda model.

He called on the governors of southwest states to inject at least 15 per cent of their annual budget into agriculture to provide sustainable food production for the region.  

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He said, “The truth is that the blockade that had been suspended now seemed to be a blessing for us because it will trigger an agricultural revolution in the South-West that will definitely change the ugly narratives of the past.

“So, I think it is the responsibility of all the South-West governors to swiftly respond to this threat and seek a better approach to enhance both small and large scale farming across the region and further strengthen the security architecture of the region.”

He noted that investment in agriculture will provide employment,  enhance IGR, provide food security, reduce urban congestion,  and enlarge the coast for participatory modernized agriculture.

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