by Comr Alhassan Haruna Dambatta
They have been saying time immemorial that we should develop Agriculture as a means for advancement in our aspects of development, that agriculture will boast our economic development. But a contrary view says otherwise — as narrated by a reknown development scholar, thus, he said;
“Modernization refers to economic development and the transformation from Agriculture to industrial society along with a corresponding social, political and cultural shift” — WW Rostow (1960)
In view of the above scholarly postulation made some almost seventy years ago have continued to rubbish our long standing belief that agriculture as sold to us by the West is not only a means to an end but an end on itself.
We are aware that a country that cannot feed the population is poor and it can never progress with only agriculture but industries and of recent, technology, hence, our dependency on agricultural production only stagnate our progress and development, as a witness for history I can say for about 70years ago.
Of course, agriculture is only good when a country has the processing capacity of those agricultural output, because the capacity for otherwise, as in the supply of agricultural raw materials as export to western capitalist countries is not only counter productive but a madness that have held us captive for so many years. The most quickest way of making money now as an individual or a country is Technology and Technology can only be acquired through scientific education.
Presently,Industries all over the world operate on the basis of automation, a science and technology evolution but not agriculture. We as a country have continued to repeat the same mistake over time, that we should stick to Agriculture — a policy we held so tight as from the time of imperial colonisation and domination of our economic system which serve as the process of inductrination for us to look no other place than Agricultural production, a believe system entrenched in our process of capitalistic evolution.
From my understanding, we were all along been duped? Of course the western countries will never allow Nigeria or Africa to industrialize because of Dependency theory . Why are our leaders together with the IMF, Europeans, world bank, Americans and the British vehemently promoted and subjugated our economic system to development of agriculture instead of industrialisation ? Why must we be subjected to western economic dictates? Why not African economic dictations? Of recent, I have also gave up like some other Nigerians, why? Because I know in my life time, this country will never reach the level I envisaged. And Africa as presently divided might need some 200year to reach the present positions of the developed Western and European countries.
Agricultural development as a means for economic development is a hoax, they only needs us to provide them raw materials while the finished goods are deposited on our shores for our consumption. Go back to the farm is entirely western agenda to dominate your mind with the slogan mu koma gona.
As a child in Dambatta I remembered some almost 40years ago that a trend existed of “majigi a Kofar FADA” calling people to the District head’s palace to come and watch films played by projector and do you know what? All the films are about mallam Musa going to the farm or Hajiya kande weaving a cloth or helping out in the farm with daka da sissika (thrashing) and up to now the trend is seems active. So, my friend, our minds have already been subjugated to the western and European psychological control with tilling the land for a yielding crop not building industries for economic growth and development,and we all know that the crops without advanced processing industries is a burden that we must do away with, especially as the surplus is all that is the target of the capitalist, a time they always intercede as our friends.
Comr Alhassan Haruna Dambatta
Human rights and Development Activist.[email protected]
