In these days of RUGA, Fulani Herdsmen, Kidnappings in the South West of Nigeria, one of the most resourceful personalities to talk to is Chief Azeez Maboreje, the Farmers’ Ambassador for this part of the country. In addition to graphic knowledge of farmsteads in all the Yoruba-speaking states, he is also a very well respected voice and is equally in touch directly with the ordinary farmer. In this chat with OLAYINKA AGBOOLA, he explains why South West Governors must quickly come up with decisive actions to prevent ‘reactions’ from farmers against Herdsmen. Excerpts
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Chief Azeez Maboreje, farmers’ Ambassador for the South West of Nigeria. By this, I mean, all Yoruba speaking parts of Nigeria.
Really? Don’t you think you are too young to carry this kind of intimidating responsibility?
No. This is not the first time I am being asked this kind of question. And my answer is always that the face of Maboreje may look young, but the engine inside me is God, it is gigantic and high caliber.
So, you have ‘juju’?
(Laughs) No. It is God. The spirit of God is with me. You know, when God wishes to send you on an errand, He will not consider your age or your wealth. What I am presently doing is like a calling. God called me and I have answered. Forget about juju.
Okay. But can you attempt to tell us how this whole story of leading South West farmers started?
My father is a farmer. I have been a farmer all my life.
Where did you start?
The journey started from Ila Orangun in Osun State. You see, when I started, I got to know that there are too many huddles the farmer crosses. Most of these huddles are unnecessary. And at the end of the day, the farmer is still perceived as a poor man. When you call yourself a farmer, members of our society will just jump into conclusion that you are poor…
Chief, we will come to that, we still want you to tell us more about how your journey into this struggle started…which school did you attend…?
I am 36 years old. I attended Baptist Day School, Ila Orangun as well as Ila Grammar School. After this, I came to Ibadan.
On getting to Ibadan, I joined a big farm, Kamadex, as a casual worker. That was 1991. At this time, I already made up my mind that I was going to learn how to run a Poultry Farm. I had, all along been in crop farming. But when I got to Ibadan, I decided on Poultry farming.
I was placed on very little salary but I did not care. I was focused. I knew what I wanted. I spent seven years doing this. At this time, my reputation had grown and spread. So, one of my boss’s friends came and he decided to hire me. He multiplied my salary four times! I spent seven years with him before I moved to Obasanjo Farms.
This was when I met one Mr Rotimi Ajayi who introduced me to the Market where they sell DOC (Day Old Chicken). Because of my agility and hard work, the people at the market got to know me. Then, I used to be called Omo Baba Rotimi. I was so active at the market. By the time I spent three years there, people assumed I had been there for over 20years.
Then, along the line, it was time for the Market’s election…and somebody, out of the blues nominated me. The person said I would be good as the Market’s PRO. Ha, this brought wahala. The man who was supposed to be contesting against me or rather, the person I wanted to contest against, one Mr Kehinde got so angry. He said it publicly that when he joined the market, I was still in Heaven with Baba God! He had spent over 40 years in the market. I will tell you here that all the other contestants printed posters, I could not. I did not have the money. People came to me to appeal to me to print posters. To cut a long story short, I did not. I told my people that if truly you want me there, you will vote for me even without me printing posters. So, on the day of the election, I scored 864 votes and Mr Kehinde got 26 votes. It was such a glorious day. And that was how I became the PRO of Day Old Chicks Merchants Association of Nigeria.
So, how did you become a strong activist for Farmers?
I read books, newspaper and I listen to all radio stations. So, each time I hear or read bad news about Farmers and how they are being cheated, I become agitated. Some people will just come on radio and entice Farmers to come and take loans and grants – at the end of the day, they will still cheat the Farmers. These farmers will struggle to raise money for Forms – some of the times, three thousand naira, five thousand naira. When these folks collect these monies from the farmers, they will just disappear. Later, I started my own company, Maboreje Global Farms and Agro-Allied Consultancy Nigeria Limited. I employed Veterinary Doctors and other technical people who represent me whenever I have any presentation or bid to make. Today, we consult for Afe Babalola Farms.
So, when I decided to start my advocacy, we call it Farmers’ Activism, we started a Radio Programme called ‘Farmers’ Market’- here we fight for the rights of farmers. We discovered that the typical farmer lacks orientation, knowledge and information about his rights. We let them know that they are the ones feeding the nation – no farmer, no nation. We made them understand why we should always speak with one voice. With oneness, we told them nobody would be able to defeat us.
As we started this, a lot of Farmers would bring their problems to the radio station. There was this particular case of one Kayode Afolabi from Osun State who used the names of 850 farmers to obtain a loan from the Bank of Agriculture. It turned sour. The bank said they should start arresting the farmers. We took it up. The man ran away from meetings. He is already paying back.
So, what position or positions are you holding now as an Ambassador of Farmers in the South West?
Our association is called Farmers’ Market. December, last year, 2018, All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria, including the Baale Agbe in –Council decided to give me the title, Farmers’ Ambassador. They said I was the first person to be honoured like this.
Now, let us now talk about RUGA, open grazing and Fulani Herdsmen. What do you think about all these?
RUGA or whatever name they have given to it – we don’t know this in the South West. This is because we have been living with normal Fulanis before people like us were born. Our fathers have been living with the original Fulanis. I will tell you here that I have toured almost all villages in the South West of Nigeria several times as a Farmers’ advocate. I have interviewed the normal Fulanis.
Permit me to tell you my findings. There are two types of Fulanis now…Fulani Zore and Fulani Ndaji. The Fulani Ndaji are the Fulanis who live inside the forest and bush with almost no deepness, they live like animals while Zore are the typical ones who used to live with us.
So, it was when President Muhammadu Buhari became Nigeria’s leader that the Ndaji Fulanis came out of the forest and joined up with their Zore counterparts. They even started by terrorizing the Zore Fulanis. You see, they have overpowered the Zore Fulanis because they have money and Buhari is also there for them.
So, whatever name they call RUGA, we will not cede our lands. Our farmers used to say ‘Fulanis are the ones who came into our farms, our farms did not go to them.’ Whatever they like they call their project, a typical herdsman is just doing his own business like we are doing our own. Rearing of cows is like somebody rearing chicken in his poultry. You must be responsible for your business.
You see, they are talking about ‘One Nigeria’…which Nigeria? They have already divided the country! I will tell you something here, we are being cheated in the South West. Northern governments secure billions of naira funds for their farmers. We take little or nothing here. Our farmers are suffering. For the whole of 2018, over 500billion naira was disbursed to northern farmers while only 33million naira was given to us in the South West. I have my facts and figures – poultry farmers precisely. I have their numbers..from CBN. We wrote CBN to ask what sin we committed in the South West.
Now, that is one aspect, but this issue of Fulani Herdsmen, how do we keep them off our lands?
We are not saying we do not want Fulanis. All we are saying is that the Fulani man should mind his own business. He should not use his own business to affect our own business.
You have traveled far and wide into the villages in the south west of Nigeria. On the issue of kidnappings, do you think Fulani Herdsmen should be entirely held responsible?
Permit me to offer this explanation…when Fulanis entered Yorubaland, they identify some people we call ‘Onibaranda’ (middlemen) who normally help them sell their cows to our people. Those Onibaranda are Yorubas but they understand Hausa and Fulfude. These are the ones who collaborate with the kidnappers. Yoruba people will say ‘there is no way a stranger can say that in a pot of stew, a black chicken was killed and cooked in the stew if an insider did not provide information’. Some of the Onibaranda people are the bad ones who support the herdsmen in the business of kidnapping.
Don’t let us forget another important aspect of this and it has to do with the Nigerian Police Force. Out of 100 cases of Farmers versus Fulanis, police will tell us, ‘order from above’ and they will release the criminal Fulani. Who is that person that is giving ‘orders’ from ‘above’?
The Nigerian Police and the Judiciary should help us. Our legislators should put in place a law that will create a special court in this respect. The court should be empowered to promptly decide cases of Farmers’ clashes with Fulanis and others. If a herdsman destroys my farm, I should have confidence that justice will come almost immediately. By the time the herdsmen pay for destroying farms, they will be more careful. When farmers get good judgement in short periods, there will be more peace in the land.
Let me tell you another thing, those fulanis who follow cows are not the owners of the cows. The owners of the cows don’t follow cows. They call little ‘Alagbada’ (Drivers). Those small small boys who take the cows are just picked from somewhere. Most of the boys are nonentities with no connection, no families…most of them live in the forests and are from Chad, Mali, Niger Republic. When you trace them, or you grab one of these boys and you tell him to take you to the owner of the cows, the owner will confess that he does not know the boy. I have several examples of this kind of scenario. So, this kind of boy, if given a gun, will he not shoot? If asked to steal, will he not steal? I have evidence of what I am saying. The state governments in the south west especially need to come up with laws to ban open grazing.
I can say here that this law will not only affect Fulanis, we have some Yoruba men, especially retired army or police officers who also have cows. They will also be affected. They should not use their business to destroy somebody else’s business.
What specific message do you have for South West Governors on the issue of insecurity, farmers, Fulani herdsmen?
Yes, these governors have been meeting regularly on the issue of insecurity. They should come up with serious decisions because South West Farmers are becoming restless. In fact, they are boiling. Our farmers are maintaining peace now. But the day they will come out to express themselves – the governments collective may not be able to cage them. They are being daily oppressed by these Fulani Herdsmen.
Our governors should make up their minds what they want to do. And, I will add here that whatever they want to do, they should involve farmers. Our people will say ‘Aa kii fari leyin olori’ (you cannot shave somebody’s head when he is not there).
I am insisting that Farmers must be carried along by the Governors because Farmers know the secrets of these Fulani Herdsmen. The original farmers who are on ground in different villages and farmsteads know the secrets. They know how to handle things. It is only because the Nigerian Police will not give Farmers free hands to operate. Our Farmers know how to handle the Fulani herdsmen. I repeat, our Farmers know how to handle them. Yes, they have money and they have Buhari behind them, but our people know how to handle them if given the opportunity.
I will call on Yoruba Governors, our traditional rulers not to sell their people to Fulani. If they do this, they cannot replace their own children and subjects with Fulanis. Everybody is watching. Farmers know what is happening. I know what I am saying. I have their data base. I am in touch with them, I know they are not happy with the way things are. The oppression is too much.
