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  • News - North West - Kano
  • Updated: January 19, 2023

Farmer-Herder Conflict: Ganduje Calls For Modernised Livestock Practice To End Clashes

Farmer-Herder Conflict: Ganduje Calls For Modernised Livesto

Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

Kano Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje says the modernisation of Nigeria’s livestock sector would help in bringing the perennial herder-farmer conflicts to a stop.

Ganduje said this when he inaugurated the Organising Committee of the National Conference on Livestock Reforms and Mitigation or Associated Conflict in Nigeria to be hosted by Kano State Government.

He said that the committee would be headed by the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC,  Professor Attahiru Jega.

“I especially commend Jega, who had completed a demanding national assignment as the helmsman in the nation’s electoral umpire, but still not tired.

“Not only that, he has always been willing to accept any challenging responsibility thrown at him.

“The decision by Kano State Government to host this conference underscores our recognition that the primary business of government is law and order.

"By government, I mean the executive, legislature and the judiciary,” Ganduje said.

He said that the Nigeria’s latest plan for curbing herder-farmer conflict is facing obstacles, particularly political opposition.

He said that in 2019, the Federal Government launched a 10-year National Livestock Transformation Plan to curtail movement of cattle.

Ganduje said the plan was also to boost livestock production and control the country’s deadly herder-farmer conflict.

He added that inadequate political leadership, delays, funding uncertainties and lack of expertise derailed the project, while COVID-19 pandemic intensified the challenges.

“It is an established fact that modernising the livestock sector is key to resolving the herder-farmer conflict, which threatens Nigeria’s political stability and food security.

“While the plan has also earned the endorsement of many state governments, it is regrettable that deficient political leadership, popular misperceptions about its purpose and widespread insecurity hindered its progress.

“In several states, especially in the North, there are duly gazetted grazing reserves, a majority of which are degraded and are without pasture or water especially in the dry season.

“Also, about 13 states agreed to allocate 5,000 hectares of land for the ranching or livestock production,” Ganduje said.

He said that the federal government’s move to establish the Ruga settlements which was received out of misconception with mass of criticisms, resulted in the suspension of the project.

He said there was also a clear sense which must be appreciated that the federal government could not dictate to states what to do with their lands.

This, he said was because the Land Use Act of 1978 put land under the control of state governors on behalf of their states.

“Even for use of federal lands in the states according to the Supreme Court, building or development control permit must be sought from the governors of the states.

“| am a strong proponent of restriction of herders’ movements into Nigeria from neighbouring countries as part of solution to tackling herder/farmer clashes.

“However, another issue worth taking into account is the ECOWAS Transhumance Protocol which Nigeria signed in 1998,” Ganduje said, adding that it guaranteed free movement to pastoralists, herders across the sub-region.

He said that as signatories to that protocol, Nigeria was obliged not to restrict the movement of herders and their cattle from other ECOWAS countries which was an issue to be looked into.

“This he said has further complicated the problem, aside from the fact that most foreign herdsmen were exposed to the firearms market and were unknown to the local farming populace,” Ganduje was quoted by NAN as saying.

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