The conflict between Herdsmen and farmers calls for urgent measures to curb the hostilities and find a lasting solution to the violence. The call by the federal government to establish ranches  as against creating grazing routes has been applauded, but new worries have stemmed from perceived implication of the policy. Ruth Tene Natsa writes

The Fulanihersmen/farmers clashes of recent have become most disturbing issues, after the Boko Haram insurgency. The outcry to find a solution to the clashes was loudest with the Agatu crises which wiped out almost a whole community.

The implications of the crises according to various reports had led to the loss of thousands of lives as well as the destruction of billions of naira worth of properties as well as raised fears that Nigeria will fall into a food crises as some of the states attacked remain some of Nigeria’s main agricultural hubs.

In a report released recently by the Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian agency , it revealed that Nigeria loses N2 trillion annually to herdsmen/farmers clashes in four states only.

The Report presented by the Agency’s Country Director to Nigeria , Iveta Ouvry noted that despite the enormous loss of lives and  economic cost of the clashes , the conflicts was rarely getting the needed attention.

The report aside bringing out the economic implication of the loses in terms of loss to lives and properties stressed the need for an urgent solution to curb the high incidence of clashes in the four states which include , Plateau, Nassarawa, Benue and Kaduna.

Prior to the Report, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP had stressed the need to grass up the north and contain the roaming of cattle as a means to curbing the incessant clashes and ensuring food security to the nation

In his words “it is doable, you need just one little brief case of grass, you will be surprise how far it will go, we are bringing in the alfafa grass from Southern California , the Tanzania grass which grows very fast here, do some wells and irrigate the grounds, afterall we have only have arid soils, not desserts, but the big one has to be the green belts , what we call operation desert shield, we have to start planting that forest now, I km Neem trees, Acacia, because when you stand and see the harmattan being so dusty, it is top soil that is being washed away, you have to plant trees , it is the only way to stop the dessert, we have been talking about the green belt but have never done anything about it”

Also the report by various media agencies that President Muhammadu Buhari and some state governors had reached an agreement to establish ranches has raised a new fear and outcry among several Nigerians who insist that, while establishing ranches is a good idea, it should not exceed the North as the South East and South South fear the implications of letting herdsmen settle in some of their communities.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with journalist, a farmer on grounds of anonymity told LEADERSHIP that he has no problem with setting up ranches, but they should only be done in the North , instead of spreading them.

In his words (government will only be creating future problems by spreading the ranches, the Fulanis should go back to their states and the ranches be created for them there, because these can become a problem in the future.

In his view “ the truth is anywhere these people settle, they don’t leave and who are the owners of the cattle and their states of origin (federal character) ? please take your cattle to your state of origin or the fulanis do not have (exempted) states of origin in Nigeria ?

He argued that if the North has more than 75% of the nations land mass, there is no reason for them to spread the ranches all over the nation.

In his words “I thought the North has 70 per cent of the Nigeria land mass according to the governor of Borno state, Borno is 10 times the size of south east of Nigeria, so why should they be allowed to bringtheir cattle to the East, please, let government rethink their decision on this issue”

Also speaking, Daniel Akpan (real names withheld) said “The plan is un-implementable in the South South (SS) and South East (SE). The Yoruba can have the ranches for Fulanis. No sane community in the SS and SE will give 1 square meter of land for an annexation ranch project of the Fulani . Buhari thinks he is smart but he will have to first eliminate all Igbos before such a project can succeed in the SE.

He argued that the Igbos had several times had been victims of the violence across the states and there is no need , creating an possibility to cause more violence.

For Mrs Nwankwo “The SS and SE don’t even have land for ranches. Did the statement say the ranches will be build all over Nigeria? If you wish to know the Fulanis are not the only ones that own cows in Nigeria. The SS and SE people own most of these cows and the Fulanis are just keepers,but at the end of the day, government will do what it choses to do and there is nothing we can do”

Meanwhile a silent observer in his reaction, said “Let’s be clear about one thing. Where will the ranches be located for Fulani cattle and their herdsmen? Better in Sokoto, Kano and all those places in the NW and NE geopolitical zones. If the fund allocated for decades for desertification had been properly used, that area would have been lush with vegetation. It is not too late. That fund can still be used for irrigation and growing of fodder for their cattle. Leave the middle Belt and southern Nigeria alone. Establish your ranches elsewhere.

One thing more. The meat industry nets in as much money as oil. Unfortunately no tax and no revenue accrues to the government from it. Nigeria is a country of “monkey de work, baboon de chop_

These and many more reactions have continued to insist that the ranches be located in the North, rather than spread them across the nation and creating an atmosphere that could backfire.

Despite this argument, it is to be noted that under the Land Use Acts all lands belong to the federal government, under the supervision of the state governors and should government decide to build the ranches across the nation, not much can be done, but it is hopeful that government would take the fears of all Nigerians into consideration.

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Mixed Reactions Trail Government’s Ranching Policy