Waiting For Another Relief Package From Ukraine

As you read this, Ukraine is enmeshed in a Russian-provoked war which started in February 2022 when Russia invaded the second-largest European country. From then till date, Ukraine has been under sustained attacks, with Russian forces committing a litany of violations of international humanitarian law, including indiscriminate and disproportionate bombing and shelling of civilian areas that hit homes and healthcare and educational facilities.

Of course, the invasion which started in 2014 has led to huge casualties and displacement of no fewer than 8 million Ukrainian civilians and Russia occupying more than 20% of Ukrainian territory.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), there are no fewer than 30,457 civilian casualties from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as of February 15, 2024.

Should Ukraine surrender today – it is not likely – they have succeeded in proving to Russia that they cannot be taken for granted. The resilience, patriotism and undying spirit of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians alike is stellar.

In the face of an enormous military might from Russia, Ukrainians, with the support of some European countries, have demonstrated undying love and determination to fight in defence of their land and their right to associate freely with whoever they so elect.

But while at war that has led to destruction of properties, the worst the world witnessed in recent times, except for Israel’s complete levelling of cities and brutal massacres of Palestinian, Ukraine still donated food to Nigeria, Africa’s so-called giant.

 

From Ukraine with love

Specifically, war ravaged Ukraine recently donated 25,000 tons of wheat as emergency food assistance to Nigeria. Now get this straight. We are talking of a country at war, not one coming out of war, donating foodstuff to an oil-rich Nigeria that has very fertile land for cultivation of so many food and cash crops.

That the donation of food to Nigeria from a nation at war is an embarrassment is to say the least in the mildest way. But I am tempted to ask as I always do on this column, how did we get to this embarrassing level?

Nigeria has huge agricultural potential, including vast arable land suitable for cultivation of different food and cash crops, and a tech-inclined youth population that can effectively deploy latest farming techniques to massively produce the food the nation needs and surplus for export. Unfortunately, that is not happening now. Will it ever happen?

Because it provides livelihoods to millions and contributes significantly to the nation’s GDP, agriculture is widely recognized as a key driver of the country’s economic growth. But is the sector’s potential being fully harnessed? Certainly not, and that is why we have to accept food donations from a nation that is at war and has far less landmass than we have. 

To fully understand why Ukraine’s donation of food to Nigeria is surprising, it is necessary to remind ourselves for yet another time that the nation is at war.  Ukraine has 603,700 square kilometers, an Exclusive Economic Zone of 147,318 km2 (56,880 sq mi) in the Black Sea and its land border totals 6,993 kilometers.

But the three geopolitical zones of northern Nigeria combined dwarfs Ukraine’s landmass. The northern states with their vast arable land suitable for an all-year round farming, occupy 722, 765 square kilometres.

Interestingly, each of the 19 northern states has land suitable for the cultivation of different food and cash crops. As a matter of fact, the north prides itself as the farming hub of the nation, with Benue, one of the northern states, describing itself as the food basket of the nation. Isn’t it ironic that we have land for farming but are crying of hunger because we neglected farming? Nigeria is currently facing food scarcity and a spike in the prices of foodstuff!

 

Farming neglected?

Fundamentally, we are where we are because of insecurity and misplacement of priorities. Successive governments, instead of investing resources in agriculture and other productive sectors, have indulged in wasteful spending, including on sectors that have little or no impact on the economy.

As clearly stated, the scenario is made worse by insecurity which has made it practically impossible for most farmers to cultivate their farms. Across the northern states, for instance, farmers are increasingly being kidnapped and, in some instances, asked to pay ransom before cultivating their lands.

A report by the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker revealed that no fewer than 128 farmers were killed, with over 30 kidnapped across the country in the first and second quarters of last year.

Also, earlier this week, SBM Intelligence, an Africa-focused market intelligence, security analysis and strategic consulting firm, released a 26-page report titled ‘Levies of Lives-The Dilemma of Farmers in Northern Nigeria’ wherein it noted that farmers in the north pay levies ranging between N70,000 to N100,000 to bandits for permission to farm, with additional payments required for harvesting. 

The report, the latest to be released by the group, detailed what is known to most Nigerians, any farmer who fails to comply may be killed, abducted or made to forfeit his farm produce. 

“In recent years, a concerning trend has emerged in some communities affected by banditry in Nigeria. Farmers are now forced to pay levies to bandits to access their farmlands and harvest their crops. Residents in affected areas reported paying substantial sums ranging from ₦70,000 to ₦100,000 to bandits for permission to farm, with additional payments required for harvesting” SBM intelligence noted. 

We cannot be talking about shortage of food without critically addressing this hostile situation which, as should be expected, has dissuaded many from farming.

Government’s neglect of the sector, coupled with insecurity, means that fewer people now go to the farm and fewer lands are being cultivated. All of these contributed immensely to the current scarcity of food, leaving us with no choice than to accept food donations even from a nation at war.

Until the government takes practical measures to address insecurity and make it possible for farmers to return to their farms, the nation will continue to wallow in hunger and consequently, look to the way of other serious nations to beg for food or accept food donations when given.

As things stand, there are ominous signs that the nation is tilting towards food insecurity and that will be catastrophic.

Government’s effort to boost the agricultural sector, like the interventions from its agencies such as National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) and even the much-talked about National Agricultural Development Fund, are received by the citizens with utmost skepticism and the reasons are simple. Corruption that characterised similar efforts in the past has engendered the current loss of confidence on the part of the citizenry.

Come to think of it, why will the citizens not be doubtful when, for instance, the government allocated a staggering N1.2 billion for office accommodation for the National Agricultural Development Fund and earmarked N450 million for the purchase of operational vehicles for the agency, rather than focusing more on extension services, access to credit, women and youth in agriculture, appropriate labour-saving technologies and inputs. If this is not misplacement of priority, then nothing else can be.

Undeniably, it is acts like this that make us vulnerable to hunger and food crisis, leaving us with no option than accepting food donations from a war-ravaged nation like Ukraine. That donation says a lot about us.

Auwalu: Indeed, Honesty Pays

For me and most Nigerians who attended or watched the live transmission of this year’s edition of LEADERSHIP Conference and Awards, 22-year-old Auwalu Salisu, an indigene of Kano shone the brightest. Auwalu, a Keke rider who bagged LEADERSHIP Young Person of the Year 2023 award for displaying a rare act of honesty by returning N15million belonging to a Chadian merchant, was generously rewarded with a varsity scholarship to study any course of his choice at Baze University and a N250million donation. For that singular act of sincerity, Auwalu’s life will never be the same again. Indeed, it pays to be honest.