How Governor Badaru Of Jigawa Collected Farmers Lands And Handed It Over To A Chinese Firm With Little Or No Compensation (Photos Inside)

Umar Abubakar Usman Babura

Farmers in Gagarawa local government are not in good mood as rainy season started since last month owing to the fact that their lands has been taken from them without compensation. As learnt by universalreporters247.com, majority of people living in the area depend on farming as their means of livelihood, infact universalreporters247.com learnt from the farmers that they have no other means of livelihood other than animal rearing and farming, however the forceful takeover of their land by Jigawa State Government without compensations has led to many families without anything to fall back on.

Our reporter who visited the area was able to hear from different people whom lost their farmlands as a result of Jigawa government plan to create sugar cane factory and sugar farmland out of their land without any compensation, many of the victims expressed their displeasure about the situation.

According to investigation conducted by our reporter in Dutse most of the people whom their farmlands were taken shows that the so-called compensation Governor Badaru claimed that he paid to farmers is not compensation that will be enough for the people whom their lands were taken, this because majority of the farmers makes a million sales from their farm produces after selling them.

According to survey conducted by our reporter in Dutse it was discovered that no fewer than 12000 hectares of farmlands was seized from the villagers and handed over the land to Chineese company in the name of creating sugarcane factory and sugarcane farmland and over 60 villages were marked for demolition and the lands be given to Mr. Lee company to establish a sugarcane factory in the state.

Universalreporters247.com gathered that farmers in Garin Chiroma were among the victims together with people of Gayawar Malam ,Kore Balatu , as learnt the issue of seizing their farm land is not the only issue that is worrying them, as they hinted that the issue of demolition of their houses is another thing that is disturbing them, because majority of the villages they don’t know any were in the country than where they were born and grown up there and now Jigawa state government is planning to send them away from their original homes.

Some of the affected farmers spoke to universalreporters247.com; these are their responses below:

Malam Hassan Suleiman Garin Chiroma

He is among the victims whom lands were seized by the Jigawa state government, he described the issues as a calamity as he said; “this government uses it power to kill us and our families because in a local lives for a farmer who lives in a remote area who has no any mean of living except farming and his farm land was seized, what remains.”

“we are no different from beggars, we were made to understand that Jigawa state government plan is to make us beggar or a slaves, now Badaru is technically planning to bring back slave trade by collaborating with Chinese people to sale our property and our families to them, we will not fold our hands and allow soap to enter our eyes, we will continue to pray all the time, we will succeed on our mission.”

“There is no sign of justification by the acts of this government and we will not migrate from our original land where we were brought up, where we know, we will remain here up to the time Badaru will send Police or Soldiers to kill us and when we lose our life, the factory will go ahead and even if we are killed, God’s willing this plan will never succeed.”

“I can say that Badaru has failed us because I personally gave my contribution to ensure the success of APC in Jigawa, I am the PDP card carrying member but we all personally voted for APC because these plan was started during the past administration and we gathered that our land will be collected and good compensation  will be given to us, without demolition of our houses, even Badaru during his electioneering  campaign in 2015 said he will not seize anybody’s land if he is voted in to power, with that we sold Badaru to our people and convince them to vote for APC.”

“Honestly Jigawa government has inflicted our people with serious poverty because many people who has large families in our village now are not be able to feed their families because, we don’t have any business that we rely on, other than farming and our farmlands was seized by the present administration of Governor Badaru ,” he conclude.

For another victim, Malam Muhammed Nasiru Dan Nani said; “As we heard that our farmlands were collected by force by the government of Jigawa state and given to Mr. Lee the Chinese, people now have hypertension and others became blind, some even died. He also stated that the sugar cane factory is a disaster to them, it has no any good efforts to the people.”  He appealed to Jigawa state government to change it decision of collecting their farm lands to give to Chinese people, it is a total injustice, he said.

“Like me I am about 76 years of age, I don’t know any where better than our village and a don’t have any occupation other than farming and at least I have 10 farmlands and all has collected by the government, those farmlands I inherited it from my great grandfather over 300 years ago, what Badaru doing to us are just sheer injustice.”

Another farmer who is also a victim who goes by the name Muhammed Jafaru Kore Balatu said; “we all relies our arms on prayer day and night assuring that god will answer their prayer because always is with people who has the trust

He reminded the present administration that they are the one who campaigned for their success he said at least they have the majority of the supporters in the state that will give them their total support to vote out Badaru in the next coming general election

Explaining further he said the rain has started majority of people did not plant their seeds on their farm as government directed them not to farm any farm produce in their land, people are stranded without having any farmland to farm and they don’t have any means of survival.

According to him he said, it was previously planned by the former administration of Governor Lamido who made adequate arrangements to pay farmers minimum of N500, 000 for farm land depending on the nature and size of the person’s farm but today Badaru’s government conspired with Mr. Lee’s staff and they are giving out N30, 000 and N60, 000 as compensations to owners of farmland, an offer which majority of people has rejected.

He accused all politicians and traditional title holders in the area of taking sides with the Jigawa state government with the exception of the their representative at the National Assembly Malam Sani Zoro who is hundred present supporting them, adding that if not because of him they will go out from the APC assuring that anywhere Zoro decamp to contest they are will to support him because of his support render to them

Malam Wada Bello Kore Sabuwa Fulani, who is also another victim, also said they were among the persons that sold Badaru to people in the area but Badaru has failed because he promised and did not fulfill it.

Assuring that if political the drum is beaten again they will not vote for Badaru to continue and they will remain in APC instated to vote for him, as they will vote for anybody who stand as a gubernatorial candidate in PDP.

 

 

Speaking, Malam  Alhassan Gayawar Malam said that Mr. Lee factory is a disaster as he said like him he has three wives and 27 children and all his farm lands were taken over by the  government and handed over to Mr. Lee’s Chinese  company for the establishment of sugar cane industry.

He said that the worst part of it, that their wives will became prostitutes and their children will became smokers and drinkers if this project succeed because all what they using to take care of their families are no longer.

“After every farming during harvesting I produces watermelon worth over one million naira yearly and I make produces Zobo flower worth about N800, 000 naira, as well as Gum which is up to N700,000 compared to compensations that I will collect from Jigawa government that is about  N120,000 for all of my farm lands, I consider it as cheating and injustice.

For Alh Ya,U Maiyan Kudi Yalwa he said my own is small, he is 67 years old and he has 29 children and ten number of farmlands were collected by force and given to Mr. Lee for sugarcane farming.

“Of course I don’t know where I am heading with my kids and I relied on farming I don’t have any business than farming, now all my farmlands has been sized, it will come to the time that we will migrate to other parts of the country since Badaru has disowned us from our original settlements.

 

 

Rabiu Muhammed Garin Chiroma said; “Walahaula wulakawata illah billahil aliyal azim may Allah protect us from this calamity we are heading into which caused by the Jigawa state government with the intension to destroy our communities, this is a total injustice and is in human.

I am an APC card carrying member but wallahi I assured you that Badaru this area will never vote for him  in the next general election coming up in 2019 because he has deceived us and make us shameful, because we did campaigned for him that this project will not be establish here but Badaru ignored all his promises he made.