How President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort in reviving cotton value chain is being undermined-Investigation

By the time President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in 2015 as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the President showed his avowed commitment to revive Nigeria’s comatose agriculture where the country is losing billions of Naira.

One of these sectors is cotton production, that is why there is a special unit in the country’s apex bank, the CBN in making sure that Nigerian cotton farmers are supported to ensure they made a good harvest.

One very interesting issue was that during last year’s farming season, the Federal government is said to have earmarked the sum of 40 billion Naira for the production of cotton, but the National Association of Cotton Farmers is yet to tell Nigerians how the funds were used.

Our source revealed that the association is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring smooth cotton production in Nigeria but fifth columnists are making it a hard nut to crack.

And most of the setbacks and sabotage cotton farmers are facing are those from the northern part of Nigeria.

One irritating issue was that there are lamentation and speculation, and information reaching CBN is that northern farmers are complaining that textile bags produced by some northern textile companies who used northern cotton to produce the fabrics is not qualitative.
CBN should not accept that statement, while southern farmers are said to totally reject bags produced by northern textiles.

Due to the ongoing schism, cotton farmers in the Northern part of the country are warming up to reject bags from the southern part of Nigeria because textile and garment companies in the south are said to be planning to import their cotton from Benin republic, process it and give it to their tailors to produce the bags and send the bags to northern farmers.
It is said most garment companies are not even aware of what is going on.
With the ongoing scenario, this may be a way to put the federal governments’ effort into resuscitating cotton farming a setback and not a national affair.

Southern cotton farmers have also insisted that their sacks produced by their machines should be used for packaging cotton and be sent to the north.

Reports indicate that the Central Bank of Nigeria doesn’t want to fail Mr. President on the project, but if the trend of sectionalism is allowed to prevail the effort of Mr. President will be defeated entirely.
To this end, some northern states that are not adequately represented in NACOTAN are warming up to set up a new northern cotton farmers association.

The cotton sacks that will be produced in the whole country is said to be 3 million, but a single individual from the southern part of Nigeria was granted a contract to produce 1 million sacks and was paid one hundred percent, while most northern cotton farmers are left yawning.

Even those that benefitted immensely to produce the cotton sacks from the southern part of Nigeria did not even vote for President Muhammadu Buhari.

The National Association of Cotton Farmers needs to explain to Nigerians the situation at hand.

As a result of this, the northern cotton farmers don’t want a serious conflict to erupt from the northern farmers due to the segregation going on, and on sabotaging the efforts of President Muhammad Buhari to revive cotton production in Nigeria.

There is also a serious move being made to mislead people that Northern cotton is not qualitative despite that northern Nigeria is the hub of cotton production even during the colonial days?

With the brewing conflict, our investigation reveals that the northern farmers have vowed not to accept cotton bags from the south because the north is producing the most qualitative one.
Our investigation still shows the confidence people have in the CBN and the loyalty of Buhari’s aspiration in reviving cotton.

It is surprising to note that Gombe and Katsina states are the leading cotton producers in Nigeria are not comfortable with what is happening, even though launching of the project by the CBN governor was done in Katsina, Some real cotton farmers are saying they are politicizing the issue.

The president had also given order at the beginning of his first tenure for the revival of cotton textile garment production in Nigeria, but the order and move of Mr. President was frustrated.

Again at the beginning of his second tenure in May 2019 another order was given by Mr. President to but another machination is being made to frustrate the effort of the President from the grassroots.
The Central Bank of Nigeria and other stakeholders have a herculean task to deploy intelligence gathering and unravel those behind the sabotage Mr. President is facing on the revival of cotton textile garment production in Nigeria.