The National Association of Piggery Farmers are demanding colonies for their pigs across the 19 Northern States of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In a statement signed by Ogbuefi Animam Eze, the National secretary of the association, which was made available to The HERALD via electronic communication, NAPF called out the Federal Government for marginalizing its farmers and exposed the harassment they have been hitherto facing from Hisbah police in the shariah parts of the country.
The statement reads,
Dear Mr. President,
DEMAND FOR PIGGERY COLONIES
The National Association of Piggery Farmers deplore the marginalization of the association by the Federal Government. Our pigs have been variously targeted for elimination in several Northern states. Those Sharia compliant states have refused to allow our legitimate business to thrive. Our members have been hounded and harassed by the Hisbah Police and others. We deplore this.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has paid deaf ears to out plight. Our members demand that the marginalization must stop in order to forestall the breakdown of Law & Order.
From the foregoing, NAPF thus demand the following:
1. Equal opportunities for all farmers and herders throughout the federation
2. We demand for a 20 hectare Piggery Colony in the 19 Northern States especially Katsina, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, Bauchi, Niger, Borno and Gombe
3. We demand the National Assembly to pass a law on Piggery Colonies in all Northern states
4. We demand that a section of the Nigerian Army be employed in the protection of pigs and pig farmers
5. We demand the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to set aside a budget for the importation of Pig Feed from Argentina
6. We demand a special department of Piggery in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
Dear Mr. President, we are a law abiding association. We prevent our members from being provoked by the government-backed Hisbah/Islamic horde that aim to destroy our pig farmers. We shall not be involved in attacking and killing the anti-piggery people in the Sharia States. If these things are not done, we can no longer guarantee that our members would not deliberately target our transducers!