The Federal Government has expressed its determination to develop Nigeria’s livestock sector, as a strategic measure to address the persistent farmers-herders clashes and unlock the sector’s vast economic potential for national development.
This assurance was given by the Co-Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms, Prof. Attahiru Jega, during the government-citizens engagement forum, put together by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation in Kaduna. Jega maintained that the newly–created Ministry of Livestock Development is a key component of President Bola Tinubu’s blueprint for transforming the sector. “President Tinubu is very much interested in the Ministry of Livestock and did not want issues of farmer-herders clashes again in the country”, he added.
The ‘farmers-herders crisis’ has been a long-standing conflict between agricultural farmers and nomadic cattle herders, primarily in Nigeria as well as other parts of West and Central Africa. The conflict is driven by competition for resources such as land and water, exacerbated by environmental changes, population growth, and other socio–economic factors and the negative consequences include significant loss of life, displacement, and destruction of livelihoods, with humanitarian and economic tolls, as the clashes between farmers and herders had resulted in significant socio-economic losses.
Farmers often lose their crops, livestock, and property due to these persistent conflicts, as the displacement and loss of income had further aggravated their economic vulnerabilities. Another major farmer problem is the loss of agricultural land, as when more land is lost, it becomes increasingly difficult to produce the right volume of food required to feed the Nigeria population. The Co-Chairman emphasised that the implementation of the President’s vision is being carried out, devoid of political considerations and this is anchored on inclusive stakeholder–engagement encompassing state governments, traditional rulers, pastoral communities, and other critical actors in order to have a peaceful co-existence.
On his part, a Lagos-based security expert, Samuel Adio has urged stakeholders in the agriculture sector to come together to work with law enforcement agencies to effectively put an end to the recurring decimal, saying that apart from the many loss of lives that had been recorded over the years, a huge amount of revenues are lost at the expense of the nation’s economy. Adio also called on those engaging in fueling insecurity across the country to embrace peace, as a viable option.
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