The traditional ruler of the Idjerhe Kingdom in the Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, His Majesty Monday Obukowho Whiskey Udurhie I, has urged Nigerians return to thwbfarm. He has, therefore, implored them to take advantage of the rainy season.
The journalist-turned-monarch, who stated that Nigerians should not expect the government to bring food to their tables, also emphasised that the Federal Government should address herder-farmer clashes, which he acknowledged are partly hindering farming activities in the communities.
HRM Whiskey made the plea while discussing some critical issues with journalists at his palace in Idjerhe Kingdom on Monday. “Let’s consider encouraging this government. Take the issue of hunger now. Some of us fail to understand that no government has ever brought physical food to anybody’s table.
“One thing I want the government to do is to see how they can decentralise their farming method. The Southwest has vast, arable land. The same applies to the South-South and Southeast. Therefore, fertilisers should be distributed along geopolitical zones.
“There are traditional tomatoes that our people here are accustomed to. Before you bring tomatoes from the north to the south, they’d spoil in no time. And then we blame the government.” He then reiterated the need for the government to through a holistic approach “Address the issue of the farmer/herders crisis. If, for instance, we form groups and decide to farm, I don’t see how 20 or 30 herders can take over the entire community.
“We should return to our traditional occupation, which is farming. We still have people who practice traditional farming. We should encourage them. “Blaming the government for everything is ridiculous, as if it’s the government that will give us yams, cassava, etc.” That, however, does not mean that the government should fold its arms and leave everything to the people. He said, “The government should also encourage people to return to their farms by improving the country’s security architecture so that if someone has worked hard to cultivate a farm, no one should come and destroy it.”
