By Dare Akogun
The Lamido of Banni Land in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, Sheikh Ahmad Ibn Muhammed, has urged the federal and state governments to prioritize the construction of the access road to the community.
Speaking to Sobi FM in his palace, Sheikh Muhammed expressed frustration over the persistent neglect of the road, despite repeated promises from the authorities.
Banni, a farming community known for its production of yam, soybean, and millet, has been hampered by its inability to transport produce to markets due to poor road conditions.
“Our major problem in this community is the road,” Sheikh Muhammed lamented. “Farmers cannot get their goods to the market because of the bad road. Transporters complain about the state of the road, saying it is not good for their vehicles.”
Banni, once famed for its yam production, now faces a scarcity of staple crops. The traditional ruler highlighted that this scarcity is partly due to low rainfall in 2024, but mostly because farmers have abandoned their farms for mining activities, which began two years ago.
The town’s population has swelled to nearly 70,000, with people arriving from different parts of Nigeria to engage in mining, further stretching the community’s resources.
The poor road network has also driven up transportation costs. Residents now pay as much as ₦7,000 to travel from Banni to Ilorin, the state capital, significantly affecting their livelihoods.
Sheikh Muhammed also addressed the operations of mining companies in the area.
“We are still expecting them (mining companies) to fulfill their promise,” the traditional ruler stated, calling on the companies to honor their agreements with the community. He also urged local youths to represent Banni well and contribute to the town’s development.
Also speaking the head teacher of KLGEA Primary School in Banni, Musa Usman, added that the influx of people drawn by the mining activities has led to a population explosion.
This shift has caused many farmers to abandon agriculture, further exacerbating the town’s food scarcity.
The once thriving market, which operated every five days, now struggles to meet the demands of the growing population.
“The price of food in Banni has skyrocketed, even costlier than in Ilorin,” Usman said, highlighting the economic strain on the community due to the changing dynamics.
Usman commended the present administration in the state for renovating the local primary school and also constructing a digital centre to aid teaching and learning in information technology for them to be in tune with their counterparts around the world.
” Our Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq tried for us in this school, he renovated two blocks of classroom and also constructed a digital learning center where our pupils can learn computer and also write exams with the aid of technology,” he said.
He however said the community hopes that the government will take swift action to alleviate the community’s hardships, which he says if done will contribute to the economy of the state.
