June 23, (THEWILL) – Emerging reports indicate that 11 out of 36 states are taking steps to commence ranching. They are Lagos, Plateau, Ondo, Zamfara, Bauchi, Delta, Niger, Kano, Jigsaw, Nasarawa and Anambra. For these states, ranching is the best way to address persistent bloody clashes between sedentary farmers and herdsmen. It is also the Federal Government’s preferred solution to the endless conflicts.
Some of the states have allocated lands for ranching, a report claimed, while others have pledged land or they are developing policies that will guide the initiatives as viable business ventures.
Most states already have anti-open grazing laws in place as a measure to end herders and farmers conflicts. Some, like Ondo and Lagos, are either on the brink of running ranches or started developing agro-livestock hubs.
Apart from the urgent need to find a permanent solution to farmer-herdsmen conflicts which have contributed to the worsening insecurity in the country to a large extent, many Nigerians view ranching as having a lot of advantages. It is sustainable, secure and economically productive. Unlike open grazing, which often leads to conflicts between herders and farmers and even pedestrians, ranching confines livestock to a controlled environment, reducing clashes and improving community safety.
Earlier, the Muhammadu Buhari Administration had wanted to introduce a policy that seemed to share a similar character but in reality was quite different: the RUGA. It was suspended after the southern states vehemently kicked against it, labelling it a ploy to resettle nomadic Fulani herdsmen on their lands.
Buhari’s government intended to end farmer-herder clashes by creating reserved communities where herders, mostly Fulani, would live, grow and tend their cattle, produce milk and undertake other activities associated with the cattle business without having to move around in search of grazing land for their cows. But the idea was quickly shot down by the states.
Now that the present Federal Government is encouraging the states to collaborate with it on the development of agro-livestock hubs and it is offering to provide financial support to the tune of N60billion, we advise interested states to proceed with caution. They should weigh their options thoroughly before taking a decision.
