By Moses Okorie
The Director of Veterinary Services, Nasarawa State, Dr. Abdullahi Musa, has said ranching is the only solution to the lingering clashes between farmers and herders across the country.
Dr. Musa spoke with our Correspondent on Saturday in Keffi, Nasarawa State, where he said the federal government, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, established the National Livestock Transformation Plan, which, if judiciously implemented, would have curbed the menace of the clashes.
According to him, the government should provide land for pastoralists for ranching, and the herders themselves should form cooperatives to raise enough money to purchase land, which they would use to ranch their animals.
“Because herders were already everywhere in the country. And these people are making a living from rearing animals. Not only making a living, but they are also contributing to a very significant part of the economy of the GDP of the country.
“Every state will spend millions buying fertilizer and other things for farmers, but zero for the herders; they don’t make arrangements, and I know in all the northern states they have grazing reserves.
“Government should make arrangements to ensure the animals stay within the grazing reserve. Nobody will move out of that place, and at the grazing reserve, farmers will not farm there.
“You only farm there with the agreement of your chiefs or your community leaders, so that the herders
will be aware. Nobody will enter that place because it’s allocated to them legally. Most of the grazing reserves are obliterated in many states, were taken over”, he advised.
Talking about the National Livestock Transformation Plan, the Director of Veterinary Services said it is a pilot project started in 2019 in three states: Nasarawa, Adamawa, and Plateau states, with the aim of transforming livestock management.
“That is moving from open grazing to something like restricted movement of animals; that is ranching. And the aim of that project was to reduce the conflict between farmers and herders and to build peace in communities where farmers and herders are staying together, but up to now there are still farmers-herder clashes”, he frowned.
He believes open grazing would continue to fuel the crisis in that sector because it has never worked. And called on the federal and state governments to, as a matter of urgency, embrace the ranching system to ensure lasting peace in local communities.
“My call is for the government, as it established a ministry for livestock development; let them do the needful by creating places where herders can resettle without having to move from place to place”.
Dr. Abdullahi Musa advised herdsmen to accept the fact that it is no longer feasible for them to continue moving around with animals, and they should find a way, come together, and help themselves out, even if the government is not doing enough for them.
He encouraged herders, especially Fulani, to diversify because most of them don’t believe in doing any other business aside from animal rearing, unlike other ethnic groups that engage in different trades in Nigeria.
“You know, Fulani herders are so peculiar; they are not like other herders in the world. What they know is only rearing animals, and rearing animals, and rearing animals, and nothing else. I encourage them to diversify, especially the Fulani herders.
“You’ll never find a welder among them; you’ll never find a vulcanizer; you’ll never find a teacher; you’ll never find anything. So, they should diversify. Life is not all about rearing animals. There are a lot of opportunities in other occupations. If they do that one, they will reduce the tension, the burden on the need for land, which always arises through crisis”, Abdullahi Musa advised.
Musa appreciated Nasarawa State governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, for coming up with a committee for farmers and herders from the state, local government, and ward levels, which has brought farmer/herder clashes to their barest minimum.
“The governor has gone a long way in helping this situation. And he has laid down other policies too, apart from the adoption of ranching by herders. Like forming a committee of farmers and herders crisis in all the wards.
“There is a community herders’ resolution committee in every ward. Then there is the local government one, headed by the council chairman and the divisional police officer (DPO). Then there is the state committee, headed by the commissioner of agriculture”, he revealed.