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By Dr. Charima J.V
It is easy to criticize anything that you did not do or something you are not doing or given to do. Most often than not, people seek to backlash progress simply because they were not involved or because they are not the architect.
In the school of success, starting something, no matter how small it may be is the beginning of success. Most dreams die in the loins of millions of people because they were well conceived but never achieved. Execution is a rare gift.
Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku did promise an agricultural revolution. That is doing what has never been done before in Taraba State, with tools uncommon to the common man but with the mind that it shall be beneficial to all.
The greenhouse is a pathway to organically cultured and pest-free vegetables and job creation, to mention a few. But for someone to criticize the venture at an infant stage, that it is devoid of the best agribusiness strategies and policies is an aberration to common sense and unfair poke to every dreamer.
No one sells what has not been produced or harvested without first growing it. To attack work in progress is a clear and distasteful action capable of inciting rebellion in the hearts of those who are already hopeful that this new change would bring good and goods in the nearest future.
The principle that says, change is often, always resisted is what is playing out in the socio-political landscape of Taraba State. DDI is putting out and making real ideas seen only in Agriculture textbooks in our part of the world. The so called experts are now saying, the project is limited in its business policies. Well, this act of attacking the first step to the agricultural revolutionary efforts is devoid of statesmanship and patriotism.
If indeed, the criticism of one Zanau Hassan Maikasuwa is of goodwill and for the better good of Taraba State above all, then he has failed in putting Taraba first in good conscience. Great Entrepreneurs do not judge a book from its cover. Zanau crucified this laudable effort by finding faults just at the delivery of a dream.
Here is my take. No sensible person concludes on the potentials or fragility of a new born baby just because it cannot swim or sing. But when given time, the helpless baby would move mountains. Today, no one will judge Tiger Woods of not being able to swim simply because he is only good at golfing, or do we challenge Paul Walker for dying from a car crash despite being a good actor with exceptional driving skills in movies but probably not in real life as it were.
The bottom-line is thus, I am well aware that Mr. Constructive critique was not part of the original idea and could not possibly know what the next step holds. Common sense behooves that, even if the government was short of all the ingredients of agribusiness that he mentioned in his open letter to DDI, I believe he just sold himself and his benefactors short.
Governance Is Not Cheap nor is it a child’s play. No sensible visionary shares his secrets. In fact in the world of business, successful Entrepreneurs hide their trade secrets. No one knows the chemical components of Coca-Cola and that is why it remains the king in that business for generations.
DDI has a visionary template, but if you feel you have a superior idea, key into the vision or become a wise opposition by keeping those exceptional principles of success that made other States successful.
In conclusion, the attack on DDI’s agricultural strides did not only stop at pointing out the shortfalls in principle of agribusiness strategies but he went further to make DDI look bad. He accused DDI of failing to meet up deadlines which led to delay in opening up for markets in Abuja, Lagos and the rest of the places.
Zanau should know that in pursuit of purpose, delay is not denial and that every great achiever, especially an Entrepreneur like he claims to be, should know that it is normal to experience challenges in the course of making progress.
These vegetables are not genetically induced for accelerated growth but are organically cultured to be free from common impurities and spoilers of inner vitamins and minerals such should have, and growth processes also take time, though not like the normal ones but they do come out strong (Basic crop science).
Again, governance is not an ATM machine. If an Executive approval is given for funding of projects of this magnitude, there must be legislation to back it up and bureaucracies to follow. The choice of experts to employ is also not automatic, neither is it done by surfing Google search engines.
Great things take time and great strides are not a cake walk. I thought you knew better? The same guy once challenged the reality of the greenhouse and even went on to ask on social media where was the GreenHouse sited. And today, he sees limitations in the work-in-progress he once doubted it existed.
Taraba Greenhouse Project is a huge success. It did not die as a dream. We can now see its progress and we shall surely harvest its dividends if saboteurs like the Ibi-born Agric-preneur don’t raise unnecessary alarms.
Dr. Charima is an aide to the Deputy Governor of Taraba State.
