In 2012, when I started farming in Kuje Area Council-Abuja, cashew trees were everywhere. Many local landowners planted them as economic trees—not necessarily for commercial production, but because they increased the perceived value of their land.
By 2013, the cashew industry had become a thriving rural economy. During harvest season, heavy-duty trucks lined up at Tipper Garage Junction in Kuje, buying cashew kernels for Nuts processing.
Farmers earned and the entire communities benefited from the value chain.
The boom continued through 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Then greed quietly replaced sustainability.
Instead of allowing the fruits to mature naturally, many people began harvesting prematurely to extract kernels early. The result was predictable: immature kernels flooded the market, quality dropped, and buyers began rejecting consignments.
By 2018, something even more alarming happened. Many of the cashew trees simply refused to fruit. In 2019 and 2020, some produced while others remained barren. By 2021, large numbers of trees appeared diseased and failed to fruit.
Today, the trucks are gone. The once-thriving cashew economy has largely disappeared. The trees remain, but many no longer produce.
What is most disturbing is that nobody seems to know why.
Nigeria has numerous institutions with mandates that should cover issues like this:
• Seed Council of Nigeria
• Forestry Departments and Agencies
• Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
• Research Institutes and Extension Services
Yet there appears to be little or no publicly available data explaining what happened to the Kuje cashew ecosystem.
A nation that does not invest in research is condemned to repeat its mistakes. We spend billions discussing agriculture, but when an entire economic ecosystem collapses, nobody can explain the cause, measure the impact, or propose a recovery strategy.
Agriculture is not sustained by speeches and conferences. It is sustained by data, research, and institutional memory.
Until we take research seriously, we will continue harvesting from nature without understanding the consequences—and acting surprised when nature stops giving back.
Nobody commands a room or fosters reconciliation quite like the distinguished. Aliyu Ibrahim Gebi Deeply grateful for your guidance Boss! 🙏
@alouibrahim92 Sir your approach to reconciliation is our nation's most effective shield against rising insecurity. Keep going, Mentor!
In my short time in the army, the best COAS have been Lt Gen TY Buratai, Lt Gen TA Lagbaja and the current COAS. I can never be comfortable anywhere their names is been rubbish.
@asher_khan_ OGA sir I'm not shocked, I'm starting to get used to it here. We've seen enough people show signs of mental incapacity just to prove a supposed agenda.
Agenda no get mama
Suddenly, the Army is supposed to be everywhere, but it’s the same Army you always speak ill of. When recruitment forms are out, you stupid idiots refuse to apply and come up with different narratives. ENSRR lapapo
Suddenly, the Army is supposed to be everywhere, but it’s the same Army you always speak ill of. When recruitment forms are out, you stupid idiots refuse to apply and come up with different narratives. ENSRR lapapo
Any attempt to curb insecurity and kidnapping that does not focus on verification of Okada riders is bound to fail.
The Okada Riders association chairmen are just figureheads with zero care for public or drivers safety. What they care about is “ticket” and revenue.
A law has to bind commercial okadas to operate only at the LGA that they are registered.
The riders have to also go through rigorous verification before being issued a license.
Someone from the community must also stand as a guarantor for them before they are issued permit to use okada for commercial purposes.
No institution wins by pretending problems do not exist. But neither does it benefit from its own people becoming agents of panic in pursuit of attention and social media clout.
In the civilian world, during a health crisis, doctors understand that managing public confidence is part of the job. Even when a patient’s condition is poor, they do their best to give families hope while remaining truthful. They know that panic helps no one.
It is crazy to see military personnel do the exact opposite when discussing insecurity. If you cannot help reinforce the sacrifices, effort, and risks being taken by your colleagues in the frontlines, the least you can do is avoid amplifying fear and despair with sensational, engagements-chasing tweets.
Photo News
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General W Shaibu, Nigerian Army Medal (NAM), joined the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Honourable Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and other Service Chiefs, senior government officials, members of the diplomatic community, distinguished dignitaries and personnel of the Nigerian Navy at the commemoration of the 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Nigerian Navy held in Lagos.
The event highlighted seven decades of the unwavering commitment of the Nigerian Navy to safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime domain, enhancing national security and contributing to regional stability. It also highlighted the enduring spirit of inter-service cooperation and the collective resolve of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to defend the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
As part of the anniversary activities, the COAS also attended the Nigerian Navy @70 Gala Night, which brought together military leaders, government officials, diplomatic representatives and other stakeholders to celebrate the Service’s remarkable achievements, honour its legacy of dedicated service and reaffirm commitment to strengthening jointness and cooperation among the Armed Forces and other security agencies in advancing Nigeria’s national security objectives.
As a sentinel; you must know that the masses would never have the same perspective as you do, they don not have 1/10 of the information and resources you do.
Sometimes all you need to do is say the little that can be let public,wailers would wail, just let time do it's thing.
Then again, the stupid citizen has no idea what he is being protected from, as such runs towards the destruction he is redirected from, which he knows little to nothing of, untill push comes to shore- he laments the "Messiah" never appeared.
Everybody talks about fixing Nigeria.
But only Few people can point to what they are physically doing today that will make Nigeria better in 10 years.
For example I’m planting ginger.
Not because it’s easy, but because our ginger industry took a massive hit and production is still struggling to recover.
So I am going to keep farming till Nigeria can reclaim its place among the world’s leading ginger producers.
If you are not just all talks and complain.
Quote the post with what you are doing that will make Nigeria better in 10yrs time.