Chapter one

1.1 Introduction

Nigeria is the biggest producer of oil in Africa and the sixth oil producer in the world but despite its vast resources, it ranks among the poorest countries in the world (Adebanjoko, 2014). A recent World Bank (2010) report released at a United Nations summit rated her as second poorest country in the world with most Nigerians living below poverty line. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS 2012) about 60.9% of Nigerians in 2010 were living in ‘absolute poverty’. In 2011, the figure rose slightly to 61.9% and in BBC news (2012), the number of Nigerians living in poverty was put at. 61%. The highest poverty rates are recorded in the North-West and North-East geopolitical zones with a poverty rate of about 77.7% and 76.6% respectively (NBS 2012). The reason is not far-fetched considering that these zones are riddled with conflicts. Absence of basic services, unemployment among others provide an avenue for disgruntled members of the society to be radicalized.

Poverty does not directly affect agriculture. However, Smith (1777) asserts that a person living in poverty can do anything to alleviate himself from such a situation. Man must eat no matter what. It is always said that a poor man is an angry man. In this regard, anything can propels him to violent activities. The situation here in Nigeria is such that no day passes without news of one form of killing by insurgents or the other (Adebanjoko, 2014). Many properties have been destroyed and lives lost to these insurgents who advocate the jettisoning of western education and the imposition of Sharia law (ibid). Insecurity in the North led to the declaration of a state of emergency in three states in the zone namely; Yobe, Adamawa and Bornu states (ibid). Despite this, the killing continues and the worst aspect of it is that in recent times, educational institutions have become targets with many male students killed and hundreds of young girls abducted (ibid). Apart from these zones, poverty is also endemic in conflict. Zones like the South- South where conflict between Multinational Oil Companies (MNOCs) and militant youths in the region has resulted in the impoverishment of the people. The Niger Delta region which is the source of Nigeria’s wealth suffers from a paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty (Adebanjoko, 2014).According to a World Bank report captured in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) report (2008), “about 70% of people in the region live below the poverty line which is above African Standard’’. It went further to say that the Niger Delta is one of the poorest parts of the world. Poverty in the region is a cause and effect of conflicts between Niger Delta’s minority ethnic groups and Multinational Oil Companies (MNOCs) with the former who felt they were being short-changed and demanded for a share of the ‘petrol dollar’ as compensation for environmental degradation among others (ibid). The violence that erupted as a result of this has not only led to the destruction of means of livelihood but in most cases the loss of bread winners. In addition, it has impeded business investments in the areas, economic growth and productivity, encouraged inflation and unemployment and negatively affected the living standards of the people (ibid). As a result of disenchantment with the activities of MNOCs, various militant groups in the Niger Delta emerged and resorted to abducting foreign oil workers for ransom.

The importance of providing food for Nigeria’s large populace needs not be over-emphasized. But this, as captured in the above scenario cannot be possible in a country facing the type of insecurity Nigeria is currently facing over the menace of Boko Haram. It is a fact that today, Nigeria is in the news worldwide not for any positive developments but due to its inability to curtail the menace of insecurity spearheaded by religious jihadist sect known as Boko Haram fighting to end any form of education in Nigeria. This unfortunate scenario has defied any known security strategy by the combined forces of our armed forces, thus necessitating foreign intervention (Eze 2014). The activities of Boko Haram and Ansaru have adverse effects on agricultural production in the northern part of the country and has severely reduced cross-border trade with Cameroon, Chad and Niger as noted by Nwangi, 2014. Even before the current instability, the northern zones of Nigeria were areas of low productivity due to other non-conflict reasons. But while agricultural productivity in the region is low, the region features products that do not grow well in the southern region. So since independence, the northern region of the country has provided a significant proportion of foodstuffs to the southern part (Nwangi et'al, 2014). The typical types of crops grown are grains (sorghum, millet and rice), legumes (cow pea and grand out), vegetables (tomatoes, onions and pepper) and cotton.

The conflicts has caused a sharp and substantial increase in prices for key northern agricultural crop exports to the rest of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon which is largely due to a decrease in agricultural output, uncertainties at markets and transportation cost. People across these conflict regions fear movement outside protected areas because of attacks by insurgents. Farm workers and herders fear attacks when in the fields or grazing animals. Input suppliers have difficulty reaching their customers. Processors deal with a reduced amount of workers available to operate machinery. Both traders and customers limit their movements to markets due to intermittent attacks in some cases, the fear of attack displace people outside the conflict zones thereby further reducing labour pools.

Livestock producers are uncertain about when they can safely access the markets due to attacks on animal markets. For example, Mousa and Jirgi (2014) reported that the Goran market in Mafa local government area was attacked multiple times in 2012 and 2013 by Boko Haram and Ansaru. Thus producers incure increased feed costs from holding animals longer

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Widespread and severe poverty in Nigeria is a reality. It is a reality that depicts a lack of food, clothes, education and other basic amenities. Severely poor people lack the most basic necessities of life to a degree that it can be wondered how they manage to survive. Poor people in Nigeria face several challenges of different magnitudes. As earlier mentioned, this does not directly hinders the free flow of agricultural production in the country. However in order to have something to eat, clothes to cover their nakedness and somewhere to lay their heads, they poor engage in one illegal activity or the other. Such activities may include cattle rustling, armed robbery and stealing. These illegal activities lead to insecurity in the country which now directly affect agricultural production in the Kaduna state. Farmers do not go their farms and work freely because of fear of being attacked. To get farm inputs such as fertilizers pesticides etc. is not as easy as it were seven years ago because the people who supply these items have limited their movement to the north for fear of being bombed.  The situation is such that the number of people who come to the market from other parts of the country to purchase these products have significantly reduced. Because of this, prices of the products fall and farmers who largely depend on farming alone have no choice than to sell these products (especially perishable products like onions, tomatoes, cabbage, water melon, cucumber among others all of which cannot be stored for a long period of time) no matter the fall in price.

The situation does not affect farmers alone, even the youths who engage in loading and offloading of goods into trucks to earn a living are also affected. Others who are engaged transportation business also feel the burden of the ugly incidence because they are thrown out of business, which further affects their welfare and that of their family members.

Furthermore, domestic animals are no longer reared in large scale anymore because of cattle hurdlers. Beside, cost of animal feeds has significantly increased since the advent of bombing of market places, due to shortage of supply as a result of low turn-out of suppliers.

1.3       Research Questions:

 The study seeks to provide answers to the following questions.

i.     What is the insecurity situation in Ikara local government?

ii.    What are the impacts of insecurity on agricultural production in Ikara   local government?

iii.   Can the vicious circle of poverty in Ikara Local Government be attributed to insecurity?

1.4 Objective of the Study.

i.     To investigate the nature of insecurity in Ikara local government area

ii.    To assess the impacts of insecurity on agricultural production in   Ikara local government.

iii.   To make known how insecurity propels vicious circle of poverty in Ikara local government.

1.5 Research Methodology

The study will employ both secondary and primary data to show how insecurity affects agricultural production in Ikara local government. The secondary data consist of journals, magazines and newspapers that contains relevant information needed for the study. The secondary shall be obtained through the use questionnaire to be filled by farmers and animal rearers in Ikara local government.

1.6. Hypothesis

The following three hypothesis are to be tested.

1.   H0:  Insecurity has not changed the condition of people in Ikara local government

H1: Insecurity has changed the condition of people in Ikara local government

2.   H0: Insecurity has no effects on agricultural production in Ikara local government

 H1: insecurity has effects on agricultural production in Ikara local government.

3.    H0: The vicious circle of poverty in Ikara local government is not attributed to insecurity

H1: The vicious circle of poverty in Ikara local government is attributed to insecurity

1.7 Scope of the Study

The study aims at investigating the impact of insecurity geared by poverty on agricultural production in Kaduna state of Nigeria from 2009 to 2015 using Ikara local government area as a case study.

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