Before expiration of Governor Ibrahim Shema’s administration, about 12,000 metric tonnes of fertilizers were sold out to alleged favoured buyers, most of who were not known farmers, at the cost of N1, 780 per bag.
Most farmers in the state said they did not benefit from the fertiliser distributed by the former administration, while the present administration said that despite the huge sums of money spent by the Shema-led government on fertiliser, there were no fertilisers left for distribution to genuine farmers in the state.
Consequently, farmers are left to patronise the open market to get the commodity which sells for about N5, 500 per bag, giving the way the distribution of the commodity was done.
The APC transition committee chairman, Mustapha Inuwa, was first to raise concerns that the committee during its operations met several misdemeanors as regards the way the former PDP government distributed the commodity hurriedly to “its friends and cronies.”
Speaking with Daily Trust, Inuwa said that fertilisers were hurriedly distributed to “friends and cronies” of the outgone administration, to the detriment of farmers.
Inuwa alleged the diversion of about 12 trucks load of the commodity by the former governor to his farm, describing that as a case of selfishness and personal enrichment, through public funds.
This week, the Governor of the state, Aminu Masari, in a meeting with local government chairmen, described the exercise as scandalous, shameful and disgraceful, saying that the common farmer is in for difficult farming season.
He regretted that there would be no fertiliser for farmers in the state, contrary to the claim made by the previous government that it had procured and left behind sufficient quantities of various brands of fertilisers for distribution to farmers.
He said it was only proper for the council chairmen to explain to the people why they have not been able to procure fertiliser for the current farming season, adding: “I was made to understand that the immediate past administration was able to distribute only 40 bags of fertiliser to each polling unit in the state, even then, the distribution did not cover all the 34 local government areas.”
Some of the farmers condemned the situation.
A farmer in Daberam, Daura Ado Shuaibu, said only 25 bags were given to their ward which had over 100 farmers, saying that the number was inadequate.
He said that they learnt that the commodity was allocated to big shots in the state, adding that government should, as a matter of urgency, intervene to make it available to all.
Another farmer, Abdul Lawal, in Funtua, said most of his colleagues have resorted to buying the commodity at the open market.
He said that the distribution of ferrtiliser has been politicised to the detriment of the true farmer.
Another farmer, Abu Sayaya, said that the commodity was brought to the state’s farmers, blaming the process of payment and distribution of the commodity for the current situation.
“The government must address the situation,” he said.
But Malam Musa in Kafur said that he has started moving his animals’ dungs to his farms in preparation of the farming season, adding that he cannot afford to buy the commodity at an exorbitant price at the market.
Responding to the issues raised, the former chief of staff to the governor and acting PDP chairman in the state, Salisu Majigiri, said that the PDP government did discriminate on the issue of distribution of fertilisers or any other thing.
He described the cries as inconsequential allegations that cannot hold waters, adding that they were clear cases of blackmail and witch hunt of the past administration.
“We deserve commendation, giving what is obtainable in other states were huge debts are left behind. We left a clean slate. This is a negligible issue that the APC is raising. It is a well known that we have never distributed fertilisers based on party, religious, friendship, or family ties, we belong to everybody.”
