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NORTHERN FOOD EMBARGO AGAINST SOUTHERN NIGERIA

Note: First published on March 2, 2021. The “published” date on the tab is the date that it was uploaded on this new site. Though some issues in this piece may still be current (depending on…), this is to avoid mistaking the piece as current news.

This is “No Bullshiting”, by Harry Agina.

Greetings, folks!

Currently, the Association of the northern food traders of Nigeria is waging a war against southern Nigeria. As my title says, I want to discuss the self-defeatist stupidity of the embargo. A also want to speak on the possibility of retaliatory embargo by the south, as well as other matters arising. It is so sad how evil and stupid some Nigerians get in their ethno-religious wars against one another. Such people have one-track minds that are too dumb to consider some consequences of their actions, some of which are actually self-defeatist, meeeeeeen!!!

Before I even get into all that, I must first pose very pertinent questions facing the federal government of Nigeria. If it allows some idiotic elements in the north to continue the blackmailing madness of food embargo against the south, how about southern retaliation? Will the government also allow the south to place embargo on southern products that go to the north? No region in Nigeria has a monopoly of blackmail or embargo against the others. The existence of “One Nigeria” comes with a symbiotic ecosystem, and every region has something to contribute to the system. The first and most prominent product of the south that would devastate the north is obvious—petroleum products! Indeed, embargo on petroleum products is not just about devastating the north, it’s about crippling the economy of the nation entirely, meeeeeeeen!!!

Once upon such conflict that was based on ethno-religious issues in the year 1967, there was a war. It was the people of the small southeast Nigeria, in the name of Biafra, against the rest of Nigeria. The southwest and the entire northern regions made up Nigeria, against Biafra. That war lasted three years. Now, another war is gradually brewing, if we don’t nip it in the bud. This time, you can call it a south-north dichotomy war. It would no longer be between the small region of southeast against the rest of the combined regions of southwest and the north.

The catalyst of the present budding war is the presidency of Mohammadu Buhari. The cause is the jihadist agenda of some members of his northern Fulani race. They have been emboldened to foment trouble across Nigeria because their “Baba” (father) Buhari is president. Sadly, their baba’s body language, inaction, and utterances, tend to encourage their impunity, meeeeeeeeeen!!!

My topic of the day is food embargo by the northerners against the southerners, as a starvation strategy battle in the dichotomy cold-war. The embargo is a fallout and extension of a physical battle in “Shasha Market” of Ibadan town in southwest Nigeria. It happened between northern Hausa/Fulani traders on one side, against the southwest Yoruba traders on the other side. You can call it one of the ongoing north-south dichotomy battles. Or, more specifically, you may call it a battle of southwest traders versus northern traders. The “Shasha Market” battle, in turn, was a fallout of earlier clashes between northern Fulani herdsmen and the indigenes of the community. The herdsmen were/are illegally occupying some forests in parts of the southwest region, with their cattle. Allegedly, some cattle damaged Yoruba farmlands, and with some herdsmen’s banditry to boot. Similar north-south ethnic battles are also raging in the southeast between the indigenous Igbos and some invading Fulani herdsmen. And, the common agenda of the criminal herdsmen is land-grabbing jihad.

Now, to the specific north-south dichotomy ongoing food embargo against the south by the north. As I said, my slant is that the unprepared approach of the north is stupid. Yes, a substantial portion of the agricultural foods that are consumed in southern Nigeria comes from the north. They include condiments such as tomatoes and onions, as well as beef. The referenced Ibadan town Shasha Market’s physical battle saw the destruction of market stalls, foods, and other wares. Both sides of the southwest and northern traders incurred losses. Following the clash, a northern Association of food traders issued an ultimatum to the federal government. It demanded monetary compensation to the northern traders for their losses; otherwise, the north would cease to supply foods to the south. The ultimatum period expired over last weekend, ending with the month of February. And, sure enough, the northern traders’ Association has commenced its threat. To effect this, its operatives in the north have to physically intercept south-bound truckloads of foods on highways. And, here is where the stupidity that I speak of comes in, meeeeeeeen!!!

Very often, I wonder if some of the leaders who make decisions in Nigeria possess any brains at all. You would think that before the northern traders’ Association embarked on such embargo, they would have a plan. Such plan would address how to ensure that the farmers and food marketers are properly taken care of.  It is stupid to bar them from going to the south to sell their foods, but there is no plan to ensure that the foods do not rot and waste money. The leaders obviously have no plan either to preserve, or market the perishable foods for the farmers and marketers. They prevent the farmers and marketers from taking the foods to established customers in the south, and the foods stay with them and rot away. Now, if that ain’t called a bunch of bullshiting, then nothing else could qualify, meeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!

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