Written by Sambo Abdulfattah
What happened to the time when the Yorubas called Àgbẹ̀ (farmers) kings? What happened to the time in the Southwest, when proceeds from cocoa and other cash crops were used to build the first television station in Africa, provide free education, healthcare facilities, etc.?
Yorubas were great farmers before they abandoned their farmlands and prioritize education. They sold their cocoa, kola nut, cashew, etc. plantations to the realtors.
Sadly, the few Yoruba farmers who held on to farming are at the mercy of herders who with their cows often deny them the joy of reaping what they sowed with hard labour.
There is a war within – the manner with which we treat farmers; this is enough reason to discourage people from going into farming. The war without (of strangers), who are forcefully displacing farmers from their ancestral farmlands by illegal encroachment – this could be addressed when we put politics aside but form a formidable force to secure our territories.
The same reasons for the herders to bear arms should give the farmers the same rights to defend themselves. After all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Enough is more than too much!
Now is the high time the Yoruba people and the Southerners generally should go back to the field, set city limits to avoid the use of plantations or farmlands as housing estates.
If the northerners refuse to bring their goods to the south, show them the middle finger by going back to the field.
by
Sambo Abdulfattah