Retired acting director at the Katsina Agricultural Tractor Development Authority and former secretary of the Katsina State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdullahi Balange, tells OLAIDE OYELUDE how Nigeria can achieve self-sufficiency in food production
How did you join the agency?
I retired as an acting director at the state headquarters of the Katsina Agricultural Tractor Development Authority in 2022 on the grounds of age. My journey as a civil servant started when the old Kaduna State Government employed me as an assistant forestry superintendent on Grade Level 07 at Katsina State Agriculture and Rural Development Project where we were in charge of seedlings, specifically, the multi-purpose nursery seedlings production. We produced and nurtured seedlings before they were transported to various places. We also carried out other tasks, including land developments.
Before that time, I had earlier done a sort of part-time job at the Central Bank of Nigeria for six months; it was an agricultural survey data collection job. For this job, I was sent to Dutsinma, Katsina, and Kachia local government areas in the old Kaduna state.
What kind of formal training did you get?
I had already commenced formal education before taking up the jobs. In my early days, I attended Kofar Sauri Primary School in Katsina State. I later attended Sardauna Memorial College, Kaduna State. When I left the school, I went to a polytechnic in Katsina to study. So, I obtained a diploma in Agriculture/Education. It was after completing my study there that my career started. I later attended the College of Agriculture, Kaba in Kogi State for a higher national diploma. I studied Crop Production Technology there.
You studied agricultural courses in the institutions you attended. Is there a reason behind that?
I was not influenced by anybody. Besides, when I was in secondary school, I did not take an agriculture subject. What happened was that I was offered the course through admissions by the schools.
Is there someone who may have influenced your decision to study the courses?
No one.
As one who retired from an agency in the agriculture ministry, one expects you to be engaged in or have an interest in farming. Are you a farmer?
Yes, I am engaged in active farming. That was what pushed me to start an integrated farming business. One of my sons is a student of Agriculture at the university and I encouraged him to do that so that he can join me in my integrated farming business.
How many wives and children do you have?
I have two wives and fourteen children.
Were you born into a polygamous home?
No.
How many wives and children did your father have?
My father had only my mother and they were blessed with 10 children. May their souls rest in peace. But my grandfather who raised me had four wives.
How did you meet your wives?
I met them through usual ways, through activities.
What do you mean by that?
What I mean by the usual ways and activities is we met at events and we had a chat, and I expressed my feelings. Later, I met their parents for their permission and they told me to go ahead.
Why did your grandfather raise you instead of your father?
When I was in Primary Five, my mother was sick and admitted to hospital. To reduce the burden (on my family), my grandfather took me in his care.
What did your grandfather teach you about life?
He taught me how to become a good person in life, through humility, respect for people, patience on issues, obedience, and dedication. He also taught me how to never tell lies at all costs.
Did your father tell you why he married only one wife?
It was because of his interest to live with only my mother.
Why did you not follow his example by marrying only one wife?
I didn’t do that because I wanted to live with more than one wife but to avoid the problem we had when my mother was hospitalised for many months. Having more than one wife will be beneficial to my home; if one (of the wives) has a problem, the other will help in keeping the family.
Are there instances when Allah saved you from injuries or death while you were in active service that you are grateful for?
The one I can easily recollect happened sometime in 1994. I and some people were in a vehicle moving from my station in Dutsinma to the headquarters of our organisation in Katsina for the monthly review meetings. Our driver lost control of the vehicle, and we were about to fall into one big culvert, but he, however, managed to manoeuvre the vehicle and we hit a heap of sand. We saw hell but the Almighty Allah spared our lives as we had only some bruises on our faces.
What kind of attention did the agricultural sector receive from the state government when you were in service?
The attention given to agriculture in the past was better than the kind of attention the sector gets now. This is because the people who were in leadership positions at that time paid more attention to the agricultural sector for improvement in food production through budgetary provisions, employment, purchase of required tools, training of staff members, and the provision of incentives for employees. These are all missing now.
Specifically, what do you think the agricultural sector lacks that should be provided by the state and federal governments?
The government at all levels needs to be more serious in the areas of a good policy to promote agriculture, the provision of subsidies on inputs (fertiliser, seeds, and equipment), and the provision of funds for research institutes for improved crop yields. They should reduce the dependence on foreign donor agencies, harmonise the mandates of research institutes, provide adequate funds for agricultural research institutes, and address the neglect of small-scale farmers, too. If we continue the way we are going now, it will be very bad. However, if the government follows and implements the advice and suggestions, the situation can change for the better.
At some point in Nigeria, the military government introduced Operation Feed the Nation and there was also the Green Revolution as part of efforts to promote and encourage agriculture in Nigeria. Do you think those policies helped in any way?
The problem has been the non-sustainability of good policies for agriculture. Israel gives full attention to agriculture and also invests a lot in the sector and they are getting good results.
The Federal Government recently announced a 40-per cent salary increase for civil servants. Do you think this is something long-awaited?
My opinion on the increase in salary is that it is not the increase that matters, whether 40 per cent or 100 per cent, but the refusal of the government to respect the rule of engagement. What I mean by this is that if you look at what happened after the 30 per cent increase which some state governments have yet to implement up till now, you would know that the Federal Government further devalued the naira and also increased the price of fuel from N145 per litre to N184 per litre and then create a scarcity of the product, pushing people to buy the product at N350 per litre. Where is the justification, when you created inflation that puts the working class at the receiving end? So, if you look at it, you will agree with me that it’s not just the 40 per cent increase that matters.
You were a labour leader. What role can organised labour play?
Organised labour can regularly engage the government on agricultural issues and other related matters.
We don’t need to mince words. For the government to meet the yearnings of people in the area of self-sufficiency in food production in Nigeria and even on other issues like desert encroachment, it must refocus its attention on agriculture. We need to go back and accord priority to agriculture. First and foremost, agriculture needs heavy funding. We must also employ adequate personnel – skilled and unskilled – who will attend to the seedlings, see to their distribution to the areas with suitable climate and environment and will be in constant dialogue with farmers to feed them with the most current information on climate change.
Agricultural workers can teach farmers new farming methods, modern techniques in animal and fish production, better ways of selling farm produce and better ways to handle diseases or illnesses that attack their livestock. Currently, the government is not paying the required attention to those areas and this has affected virtually everything that has to do with agriculture, including the interest of students in Agriculture as a course of study because they have fears that there are no jobs for them after graduation.
What was the situation like when you were a young civil servant?
I can remember that even as a young civil servant, the government sent me for training in various agricultural institutes across the country then. I can remember that I was at the National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan, Oyo State, for training. Also, the government encouraged us and this always made us put in our best. There were also technical review meetings involving the management, researchers and personnel where issues concerning agriculture projects were discussed. At such meetings, our activities were subject to critical appraisal; areas of need were identified and the government intervened to ensure that things went on smoothly.
How have the challenges you have identified affected farmers?
Today, things have changed. Farmers do not enjoy easier access to farm inputs. Fertilisers, animal feeds and medicines are costly, and there is no manpower to further pass information to farmers on their farms. Farmers have been left on their own, despite the concern about self-sufficiency in food production. All these rest on the neck of the government and there is no way the government can run away from its responsibility. If you look critically at the developments in the agricultural sector, the government does not have a policy direction for the sector.
That is why whenever any international intervention in agriculture ends in Nigeria, there is no sustenance or continuity of that intervention. The government either closes its eyes and awaits another intervention or claims that there is no funding to continue with that project after the intervention. Whereas, all the donor agencies are always happy seeing the sustenance of their projects by any beneficiary country. With the kind of attitude the government currently shows towards agriculture, one is not surprised that our youths are not showing interest in agriculture too, either to pursue it as a course in a higher institution or opt for agriculture as means of livelihood. It is very sad.
The sector must be heavily funded. Incentives must be given to farmers to encourage them. More personnel, both skilled and unskilled, must be employed in the sector while the government should come up with strategies to encourage our youths to develop more interest in Agriculture. Agriculture should be seen beyond politics which requires every support and encouragement.”
What lessons can the new administrations that will be inaugurated on May 29 at the state and federal?
They should give priority to agriculture, create a good policy and ensure the sustainability of the policy. They need to make the sector more attractive to Nigerians, especially the youth and encourage farmers by making available various inputs that will assist them in their business. If we invest in agriculture and give it proper coordination and monitoring, there would be enough food for us to eat in the country. We would even export. Aside from this, many agriculture-related businesses would be established and there would be more jobs for our youths and this, will in turn contribute to the reduction in the rate of crime in Nigeria.
