At a time when poor masses, especially those living in cities are suffering and struggling to survive the current economic hardship in the country, Kano villagers are prospering and enjoying their lives through farming and other businesses.
Daily Trust learnt that some people in the city who fled their villages decades ago are now going back to reclaim their farms.
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“I left our village over two decades ago, but with the condition of things in the city nowadays, where it is difficult to feed the family, I had to go back to continue farming. I started last year, and at least I will get food to eat with my 11 children and a wife,” Jibrin Shuaibu, an indigene of Jigawa State, now resident at Kurna, told our correspondent in Kano city.
It was observed that the significant changes that occurred in rural areas were as a result of the revival of farming activities, which not only created business opportunities, but also added to revenue generation.
Many rural residents in the state told Daily Trust Saturday that the only people who suffered hunger were either lazy or could not get the opportunity to work. They added that people in the city often go to respective markets and come back without anything.
But they work regularly with good returns, especially during the rainy season.
They engage in processing farm produce, rearing animals, fertiliser and seed marketing, transportation, fishing, among many other businesses that generate daily earnings.
Villagers smiling amidst bad economy
During a visit to some villages in the southern part of Kano, it was observed that many of the villagers were making it big through farming.
Women are not left behind as some of them sell food, produce bags, mats and local hand fans, while some work in the farms.
Some of the villagers who spoke with our correspondent said their situation changed, courtesy of the return of farming activities in the region powered by the present administration through irrigation dams.
“I cannot say that there are no poor people in our villages, but as far as what to eat is concerned, we have food. This is because people from the city are trooping to the farms. You hardly live without job nowadays. Although the gain is not that much, it can sustain our lives.
“I have my farms and have already invested the money I got from working for others. With what I got during dry season farming, I married off two of my daughters and reserved the food to eat for the remaining time. This is all we are suffering for, the food to eat and feed your family and I have it. So for me I can say Alhamdulillah,” said Jamilu Nuhu, a farmer in Bunkure local government.
For Mallam Bashir Ayuba, a resident of Karfi town in Kura local government, the poor in the village are far better than those in the city in terms of income “but failure for us to have a good plan is our problem. Many of us get money on a daily basis because most of what we do or sell is something that people cannot do without. But we don’t have a good plan to maintain and establish ourselves.
“Many of our youth will only marry second or third wife or buy a new motorcycle while the old one has no fault. But honestly, we get money here and there is no hunger. That is why you hardly see people from Kano south moving to the city to work.”
Ayuba, who owns a provision store along the Karfi junction said for over 20 years, the place have been a source of his living and that in the present situation, he records more sales even though with less profit.
He said the shop is one of his investments and he has the intention to establish a rice processing company.
“I have gotten a lot (from this shop). I built my house with cement block not mud, got married with children and still into farming all with this shop. I also have some people under me and some of them are married while others are planning to marry.”
Another segment that provides employment opportunities to thousands of people in the area including youth and adults is rice processing, which dominate almost all parts of Kano south.
Many of the rice processing clusters in Kura, Karfi, Kwanar Dawaki and other parts are occupied by youth and women who work on daily basis and earn a living. Some of them said they don’t have much time to go to farm or do other business, rather they send relatives to take care of that. Daily Trust Saturday observed that a bag of paddy is processed at N1, 500 and some of them do as much as 20 bags daily.
‘Rich from city dominating our farms’
Daily Trust Saturday observed that most of the large farms in the villages are now occupied by thousands of rich people from the city who have joined the farming business to get profit.
Some of the villagers lamented that the rich from the city are now dominating the farming activities. They said many people are always on the farm busy with the farming activities while many of the villagers gave out their farms for rent to them.
They described the situation as a blessing and a curse since it boosts the farming activities and provide employment opportunity for the villagers, in addition to adding value to the sector. But according to them their coming to farm will sideline the poor villagers and the years they spent in it.
Only villages with irrigation enjoy
Meanwhile, in a counter reaction to the stories in the southern parts of the state, some of their colleagues in other villages said the reverse is the case in their domain. They related the development in the Southern part of the state with availability of water they have and stakeholders.
Maikano Abdullahi, comes from Kaburma, Dawakin Tofa local government to sell phone accessories at Beruit road in Kano city, he said the life there is not easy for many residents, especially now that the crops have not grown.
“I don’t think the poor in the city are suffering more than we are in our villages. Some of my colleagues here couldn’t make it to the city because they don’t have transports fair. They have irrigation in their area so they can farm during both raining and dry season.”
Poor people in the city struggle for survival
Some people in the city lamented that the situation is deteriorating as the increase in the price of food stuff is forcing them to use their capital to feed their family.
Zuabiru Yahaya who works in a block industry in Bachirawa narrates how he is coping with the situation in the city. He said that his daily earnings cannot cater for his daily needs.
“Our counterparts in the villages can survive with some little things. You hardly live with hunger since you can get food even from leaves and other fruits, there (village)” he added.
“Most of the time you have to go out and source for a living, and it’s not certain you’ll get something always. Now, people are living on a single meal a day. It’s either you get breakfast or dinner.”
Babangida Dan Daura said their businesses were not like before and that they had been managing their lives. He urging the government to look into the situation to save people from hunger.
