As stakeholders in Agriculture we write to draw the attention of the Government to certain actions by the HMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono ,that are inimical to the attainment of food sufficiency in Nigeria.
The gains made so far will be lost especially during this trying period in the global economy.
The farmers are doing their utmost to ensure food sufficiency despite the lockdown to the COVID-19 pandemic but the HMA is busy working against their efforts by antagonizing them.
AFAN is an NG0 and has been having a very cordial relationship with all the Ministers of Agriculture since it was founded in 2002.
The then administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo brought three tendencies of farmer associations namely FOFAN, NFAN and PFAN under on umbrella called ALFAN and later AFAN.
After this amalgamation Admiral Murtala Nyako who led PFAN emerged the President, Chief Coker who led NFAN became Deputy National
President 1 and Dr Shettima Mustapha who led FOFAN became Deputy National President 2.
When Admiral Murtala Nyako joined politics, Chief Coker became Acting National President while Dr Shettima Mustapha continued as his Deputy.
Dr Shettima Mustapha was suddenly made a cabinet Minister by President Umar Musa Yar’adua and AFAN was handed over to HE Abdullah Adamu, the Chairman Board of Trustees of NAFN ( National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria) with the proviso of
amending the AFAN constitution, Convening a General Assembly of Farmers( GAF) and finally conducting a general election from the Ward,Local Government to National Level.
We became the offshoot of this Amalgam as leaders
duly elected and inaugurated in Dutse in June, 2014.
We were elected as set out in the AFAN constitution and not appointed by any Government organ.
The current HMA is causing a lot of damage to the status quo by trying to muddle in the affairs of AFAN which is not a department in his Ministry.
The HMA once served as an appointed caretaker chairman of AFAN in Kano State at one time and suffered some humiliation when he took the Board of Trustees of AFAN to court to continue in office illegitimately.
The case was thrown out and a proper election was conducted and State Executives were duly elected and inaugurated.
His displeasure with AFAN is now manifest since he is trying to promote the fragmentation of AFAN by throwing his weight behind unelected people parading themselves as AFAN officials.
The renegades trying to scuttle the peaceful atmosphere in AFAN supported by the HMA are the people he has appointed to represent AFAN in the task force to ensure the seamless movement of Agricultural produce, seeds, imputs, agrochemicals and farmers to access their farms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The elected leadership of AFAN is against this interference and will not hesitate to pursue legal action to redress this after the COVID-19 pandemic,when the courts resume sitting,to resolve the impasse.
The Minister being meddlesome has taken sides with the so called caretaker committee because their leader is from his home state of Kano.
He should be called to order before he causes havoc in the food system of the Nation by creating serious instability among the farmers.
We decided to write this letter to you so that the matter will not adversely affect the morale of the farmers and make the food system to suffer serious disruptions at these difficult times when the price of oil is at its lowest ebb in the international market.
A hiccup in the food system will cause undue turbulence in the national security.
The HMA being a farmer and a one time caretaker committee chairman in Kano State knows full well the effect of instability in the affairs of an NGO like AFAN.
He was sacked as Caretaker chairman because of acts of impropriety during the tenure of Governor Shekarau and lost the court action he instituted because he was not duly elected.
The evidence of that incident supported by a court ruling is hereby attached for scrutiny.
He has an axe to grind with AFAN that’s why he is not amenable to work with the legitimately elected leadership but some illegally appointed caretaker committee.
He has not shown any sign of driving Nigeria’s Agriculture to any appreciable level beyond where he met it.
Mr President may recall the HMA’s refusal to attend the Argungun fishing festival,his disruption of the status quo in the Ministry, his appointment of an SA who is not an Agriculturist, his greed in alienating his HMS and running the Ministry as if it is his personal property.
For the first time the budget defence of the FMARD was thrown into ridicule when the HMA could not answer questions bordering on the thrust of the budget when he was asked.
The Permanent Secretary had to offer some explanations to save the situation.
It is quite obvious that the whole Ministry is having its own share of instability where some directors are doing the work of others.
The HMA is not looking at his responsibility of overseeing Agriculture in all parts of Nigeria that’s why he is yet to take a state by state tour of the country to encourage the farmers and to fully appreciate what needs to be done to consolidate the gains made before his appointment.
He is constantly around Kano as if he is the Minister of Kano State Agriculture instead of Nigeria as a whole.
The President is invited to draw the attention of the HMA to discharge the responsibilities of his office creditably well instead of engaging in matters that will jeopardize the attainment of food sufficiency in Nigeria despite the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Government should treat Agriculture as the only viable economic alternative in the face of the scourge the world is dealing with and take proactive decision to ensure Nigeria’s survival.
We hope this will be helpful to Nigeria and we look forward to working with the Government to make our country even greater.
