To mitigate the current ravaging hunger in the land, the traditional ruler of the Idjerhe Kingdom in the Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, His Majesty Monday Obukowho Whiskey Udurhie I, has urged Nigerians to take advantage of the rainy season and return to the farms.
The journalist-turned-monarch, who stated that Nigerians should not expect the government to bring food to their tables, also emphasised that the Federal Government should address herders-farmers clashes, which he acknowledged are partly hindering farming activities in communities.
HRM Whiskey made the plea while discussing some critical issues with journalists at his palace in Idjerhe Kingdom on Monday.
“Let’s consider encouraging this government. Take the issue of hunger now. Some of us fail to understand that no government has ever brought physical food to anybody’s table.
“One thing I want the government to do is to see how they can decentralize their farming method.
“The Southwest has vast, arable land. The same applies to the South-South and Southeast. Therefore, fertilizers should be distributed along geopolitical zones.
“So, if a particular zone refuses to use theirs for farming, the next season we’d ask them why crops peculiar to their zone are unavailable.
“There are traditional tomatoes that our people here are accustomed to. Before you bring tomatoes from the north to the south, they’d spoil in no time. And then we blame the government.
“The government should holistically address the issue of the farmer/herders crisis. If, for instance, we form groups and decide to farm, I don’t see how 20 or 30 herders can take over the entire community.
“We should return to our traditional occupation, which is farming. We still have people who practice traditional farming. We should encourage them.
“Blaming the government for everything is ridiculous, as if it’s the government that will give us yams, cassava, etc.
“I have a different view. The government should also encourage people to return to their farms by improving the country’s security architecture so that if someone has worked hard to cultivate a farm, no one should come and destroy it,” he pleaded.
The Delta monarch, who criticized oil multinationals for describing the Niger Delta terrain as difficult when it comes to developing the region, called on President Bola Tinubu to expand the scope of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL).
According to him, the effective security surveillance work of TSSNL is gradually restoring aquatic life to the Niger Delta region due to reduced oil theft and pollution.
“We thank God that TSSNL is doing well. We appreciate that it is helping restore our environment and aquatic life to a large extent.
“If you go through our rivers nowadays, you’ll see clean waters, and aquatic life is returning compared to the past. And this is due to the activities of TSSNL.
“It has shown that it has the capacity and commitment to grow our oil and gas industry. If we must move forward, there’s a need for more encouragement.
“I thank President Bola Tinubu for renewing the operating license of TSSNL. I’m also appealing to him to expand the scope of TSSNL’s job beyond the present scope.
“They should consider expanding TSSNL’s scope to foster a better environment. The Federal Government should encourage TSSNL to do more so that more hands can be engaged.
“He’s seen the terrain firsthand. TSSNL’s presence has reduced pirate activities in our rivers. Our people are returning to their fishing vocation,” he disclosed.
HRM Whiskey, who recently earned an academic PhD from Delta State University (DELSU), Oghara, urged Nigerians to support President Tinubu, stop ethnic profiling of leaders in power, and refrain from portraying Nigeria negatively on social media.
“Nigerians should be their brother’s keeper at the local, state, and national levels. Our leaders at all these levels need our support and encouragement.
“I’m appealing to Nigerians that we do not have another country. The only one we have is Nigeria. The way and manner our people condemn leaders and government is unbecoming.
“We often forget that social media is a record keeper. You’ll either benefit positively or negatively from what you’ve said on social media. So, I’m appealing to Nigerians that this government is just a year old.
“I also think that President Tinubu needs our support and encouragement. No matter how powerful you are, there’s what we call local support.
“If he has no support locally, how will the international community support him? You can’t start with crises from the beginning to the end.
“We need to go back to the drawing board. Ethnic profiling and colorization of attacks won’t take us anywhere. We all have a role to play in the sustenance of peace and security in Nigeria.
“I strongly believe that collectively we can do better. Encouraging those in power is crucial. God has a hand in every government that comes into power.
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“Tinubu is working. We can’t heap all the blame on the government of the day, whether at the local, state, or federal levels. If there are issues that need critical attention, we should address them constructively.
“You can’t sleep with your wife in the house and then blame Tinubu! That cannot be. He has his own challenges, just like we have. We need to look inward and think of ways to move our nation forward,” he admonished.
