The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) is calling for unity among factional parties in the association.
This comes as internal conflict over an overstayed tenure has caused a split within the association, resulting in the formation of a new faction
Ibrahim Kabiru, president of AFAN, stated in a media interview that without unity, local farmers will not be able to benefit from the interventions of both the federal and private sectors.
“If we are not together as farmers, the results we will get will not be very good, because people will doubt who to relate with,” he said. “We cannot follow a course when we do not stand together.”
Kabiru explained that AFAN has struggled with cohesion from inception, but warned that the current dispute, already in court, could worsen outcomes for millions of Nigerian farmers.
“No court of law can really determine for us who will be our leaders, because we are a Non-Governmental Organisation. If there was cohesion among us, the first thing that should have been done was not to entertain this matter of leadership in a court of law,” he added.
He said that the inner wrangling with the association will negatively impact the progress of farmers across Nigeria.
“So that is why we insist that there must be unity amongst farmers for us to be able to reap the best results from the government and private stakeholders willing to invest in our value chain.”
According to him, the new faction does not regard the present leadership of the association, revealing that “we have now appealed to the Supreme Court.”
He called for unity from members of the association, urging that they speak in one voice. Kabiru disclosed that a meeting between the two factions is necessary to resolve the ongoing differences.
“We are going to sit together very soon, and I am sure common sense will prevail. Everybody will be called together, and then we will resolve this, because this is not a matter of court,” he said.
