By Ahmad Umar
Consultant to New Partnership for African Development, NEPAD, Prof Ibrahim Lawan Bashir has said that the failure of Nigeria to fully implement policies on nomadism in the country is responsible for herdsmen/farmers clash.
Prof Bashir was speaking on Monday at the National Conference on “Dynamics of Pastoral Nomadism in Contemporary Nigeria “organised by the Federal University Kashere, Gombe State, northeast of the country.
He emphasised that government has failed to reserve areas originally mapped out as cattle routes, that have now been taken over for the purpose of development.
“One good example is the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja. It used to be a cattle route but has been taken over by government,” he said.
Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Alhassan Mohammed Gani, said the event was the first national conference organised by the university as part of its contributions to developing workable solution to national problems and discourse.
Prof Gani said the theme of the conference, “The Dynamics of Pastoral Nomadism in Contemporary Nigeria: Problems, Policies and Prospects,” was chosen to address a burning national issue that requires scientific and holistic approach.
According to the university Don, the farmer/herdsmen conflicts that frequently lead to loss of lives, have defied solution over the years, with government forced to go back to the drawing board in order to find lasting solutions.
“It is our expectation therefore that the conference will explore opportunities and support initiatives that will solve the continued herdsmen/farmers clashes in parts of the country,” he said.
In a remark, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education, Prof Bashir Haruna Usman disclosed that Nigeria has a total of 22 million cattle valued at N3.4trn, aside the staggering number of goats and sheep.
He stated that cattle in Nigeria is a huge source of revenue that can not only augment revenues from oil but contribute immensely towards the economic diversification thrust of the Federal Government.
Prof Usman commended the management of the university for taken the bull by the horn and to be the first to organise a national conference geared towards finding lasting solutions to the crisis involving farmers and herdsmen.
Prof Usman cautioned participants against using the term “Fulani herdsmen” during the conference as according to him, “herdsmen have been criminalised. And when you introduce ethnicity to this, it becomes unacceptable.” he said.
He tasked organisers of the conference to ensure that at the end of the session, practical solutions would be proffered for implementation by the Federal Government.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/04/12/news/nigeria-anti-grazing-bill-scales-second-reading-in-oyo-assembly/
