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‘SARAKI FARMS LTD.’; A CENTURY OF SLAVERY SERIES 5
(Released Date:
17th August 2004)
In
our series 1 entitled ‘Kwara For Sale’ which was circulated on the 26th
of May 2004,
some revelations were made concerning negotiations then in progress between
Kwara State Government and Zimbabwean
white farmers on commercial farming scheme in the state.
The
situation now, is that the negotiations have been concluded and the deal sealed.
Governor Bukola Saraki signed the ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU) on behalf
of the state government while the leader of the Commercial Farmers’ Union of
Zimbabwe (CFUZ), Alan Jack signed for his union in July, this year.
Although, the content of the MOU was not officially made public by the state
government, here are some highlights of the deal:
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A total of
hundred (100) Zimbabwean white farmers are expected to commence commercial
farming activities in Kwara state.
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To start
with, 15 of them shall arrive in the state as the pioneer farmers.
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Each farmer
shall be allotted one thousand (1000) hectares of farmland with complete
basic infrastructures – roads, farmhouses, dams, telecommunications, power
supply and security.
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The
leasehold for the farmland is 99 years though, the government in her so
called ‘Collaborative Agricultural Agreement’ (CAA) deceitfully said, it is
25 years and it is renewable.
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A total of
200,000 hectares of land in Edu, Ifelodun, and Asa Local Government areas
have been earmarked for the scheme.
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On eight (8)
of the pioneer Zimbabwean farmers, $4.5 million (N630 million) is to be
spent.
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Each of
them, in addition will be given a loan of $250,000 (N35 million) at
nominal interest rate. Moreover, another $250,000 (N35
million) loan each is guaranteed, courtesy of the sole guarantor, Kwara
State Government. It has successfully wooed the United Bank for Africa (UBA),
Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) and Standard Trust Bank (STB) to provide loans.
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They were
granted 5 years of import duties and tax exemptions on farming equipments.
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Provision of
a cargo hub on Ilorin International Airport to ensure availability of empty
cargo planes bound for Europe to the Zimbabwean farmers to facilitate
exports of their farm produce.
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They have
also been assured that there will not be any form of violent reactions from
Kwarans against this deal. Indeed “Nigel Crompton, representative of Kwara
Saraki” speaking from Ilorin, while reacting to fear of possible violent
reactions from people said, “They have been guaranteed nothing like that
will happen here”.
OUR
OBSERVATIONS
A
thorough examination of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will reveal to a
cautious and conscious mind that the deal is very one-sided. It is as if the
representatives of Kwara State at the negotiations sessions never defended the
interest of the state but just gave in for all the demands of the Zimbabwean
white farmers.
Kwara State provides both the land and capital for the
deal exclusively
and
yet, has nothing in return. It has no say administratively in terms of labor,
entrepreneurship and profit sharing. It is
unbelievable that Kwara State plays the piper but does not dictate the tune –
What an economic slavery! By the time this deal is implemented, a whooping sum
of $56.25 million (N7.875 billion) loan would be expended on just a hundred of
the 2,000 Zimbabwean farmers negotiated with the British Government by the Kwara
State Government. Kwara State Government being the guarantor of loan facilities
for the Zimbabwean white farmers without collaterals will have to bear the brunt
of the loan for decades. The State’s monthly allocations from the federation
account would be used to service the debts accrued to
foreign farmers.
Undoubtedly, it will amount to,
(a)
Continuous underdevelopment of the state since
successive state administrations will be starved of funds for developmental
programs and
(b)
Irregular or non-payment of workers salaries
and/or mass retrenchment of the state work force.
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A
cast back on history of this white farmers in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) shows
that history is merely repeating itself in Kwara State. The only difference here
is that Zimbabwean land was usurped by the white farmers in connivance with the
British Colonialists in Zimbabwe while Bukola Saraki is at play in Kwara State
in connivance with some traditional rulers. The most unfortunate thing is that,
the consents of the indigenous farmers and landowners were never sought, before
their lands were taken away from them forever in line with the government’s
assurance to the pioneer white farmers that “no villagers would be resettled to
accommodate their farms”.
Why
the Bukola Saraki’s administration is hell bent on reclaiming our land for a set
of white farmers described as “the most conservative segment of white society in
Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)”. After all, their antecedents in Zambia, Mozambique and
Zimbabwe earned these countries and their nationalities nothing but
deprivations.
OUR INFERENCE
Considering the levels of secrecy involved in the deal, exclusion of
stakeholders in the state and employment of foreigners like Nigel Crompton as
negotiator on behalf of the Kwara State is a pointer to the fact that the deal
is shady. To aggravate the issue is the quest for loan for the ‘faceless’
Zimbabwean white farmers with no collaterals, from local banks that will find
debts
rescheduling difficult
especially now that local banks are battling with the waves of recapitalization.
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Why not African Development Bank (ADB) or the World Bank? It is another ploy to
shield the Federal Government out of the deal while involving the British
Government for international protections to for-stall any attempt by successive
state administrations to renege on the MOU through international pressures.
In
fact, had Societe Generale Bank not been bankrupt, it would have been used to
perfect the Saraki’s economic slavery as usual. The said local banks would not
have been needed.
The
fact that the Zimbabwean white farmers were given land with all facilities free
and loan without collaterals, coupled with the high level of secrecy involved,
it would not be far fetched to conclude that these Zimbabwean white farmers
shall be seen as
just
fronting for Saraki or better still, supervisors of ‘SARAKI FARMS LTD.’
Governor Bukola Saraki should respond to the following questions perhaps doubts
surrounding the scheme might be removed.
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Were the
Zimbabwean white farmers granted similar facilities free by the Zimbabwean
government before their final ejection? If not, why must we?
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Whose burden
is the nominal interest?
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Whose burden
is the tax exemption on agricultural equipments for 5 years?
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Who is Nigel
Crompton? What qualified him to speak for Kwarans? Is he a Kwaran? This
should not be surprising, because the same set of bankrupt Saraki’s
management team who are non-Kwarans that crumbled Societe Generale Bank (SGB)
is being used in governance of the state and even contracts allocation.
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Do we not
have successful and reliable Kwarans who could and should speak for and on
behalf of other Kwarans?
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What success
has Bukola Saraki’s back-to-farm project achieved so far that necessitates
the leasing of our land and spending so much on Zimbabwean white farmers
(foreigners)?
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Why can’t we
employ skillful white farmers as expatriates on our farms?
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Will that
not afford the Kwarans the opportunity of being trained on the job?
In
conclusion, we hereby call on true Kwarans, to speak out. Why have the elites,
religious leaders, traditional rulers, NLC Kwara State chapter, youths, farmers,
land users and owners, politicians of good repute and the enlightened masses
silent over this and other serious socio-political and economic issues in the
state? Would you continue to be indifferent? Will you not speak out while your
future and the future of the yet unborn generations are being mortgaged in an
unprecedented brand of economic slavery in our land? We are flabbergasted by
this deadly indifference.
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© 2004
REDEMPTION
FORUM | | |
