In the second volume of our 'scam hall of fame' mini-series, we explore a classic Nigerian haux that might not have been the most daring or expensive, but was certainly the weirdest: the time Kwara State came up with the ingenious idea of importing white Zimbabwean farmers (along with tons of cows and machinery) ostensibly to set up commercial farms in the state.
Now a decade after the farms were inaugurated -- with the forced displacement of thousands of indigenous Kwaran farmers -- and after millions of dollars of state investment, the majority of farms established by the white Zimbos have now, predictably, collapsed. What inspired this laughable and ultimately ill-fated scheme? Was it an 'honest' mistake or a pre-medidated racket? Were Nigerian elites the victims or beneficiaries of this scam?
(Special thanks to Michael Parenti for the guest appearance).
Further reading:
Zimbabwean farmers in Nigeria: Exceptional farmers or spectacular support?
Why white Zimbabwean farmers plan to stay in Nigeria
What's Left of the Nigerian Left Ep 1: The Socialist Library and Archive (SOLAR) Calabar ft. Chido Onumah
33. #EndHunger Protests : From Economic Crisis to Political Crisis?
32. A Nigerian Communist in Vietnam
31. Eco was, Ecowars, Ecoworse
30. Was national liberation the scam?
Scam Hall of Fame Ep 3: Agricultural marketing boards in colonial and 'independent' Nigeria
29. Why we struck
28. Precolonial Capitalism to the First Republic ft. @iyi_bobby
27. Mohbad protests, celebrities and social (non-)movements
26. 'Is Nigeria's fuel subsidy still worth fighting for?' ft. Camilla Houeland
25. Subsidy removal and popular resistance pt. 1
24. Niger coup, Ecowas idiocy, and Left military vanguardism
23. Afro-Marxism in Nollywood? - A review of Saworoide (1999)
22. Did the Left learn anything from the Obidient Wave? Part 1
21. "Buhari walked so that Tinubu could run": From right wing-statism to the Lagos Model
20. Marxism vs Obi-ism pt.2: A Socialist Labour Party candidate in the National Assembly? ft. Ayo Ademiluyi
19. Election Post-mortem: class, ideology, and consciousness
18. Was it rigged?
17. 2023 -- Naira Scarcity, Elections, and Elite Roforofo
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