By Joseph Edegbo
Some organisations, All Farrmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kaduna state Chapter and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), have launched a unified initiative focused on conflict resolution in Kaduna State, North West, Nigeria
The efforts to strengthen peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders in the state, followed the initiative by the NEEM Foundation and Hope for The Village Child Foundation to promote stability and reduced conflict within Kaduna communities.
During a sensitization exercise in Kaduna recently, the Vice Chairman of AFAN, Lydia Ishaku Gaku asserted that Chikun and Kajuru LGA’s respectively enjoyed relative peace in the last few years due to the intervention of both NEEM and Hope for The Village Child Foundations towards peace building.
According to Gaku, the peace initiatives of the duo has improved the working relationship and understanding between the herders and farmers in Chikun and Kajuru respectively.
In a remark, the Secretary General of Miyetti Allah Cattles Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Kaduna state Chapter, Muhammed Abubakar Bako, said, before the arrival of NEEM foundation, the herders and farmers crisis was at the peak, causing disunity among natives.
Bako admitted that the ‘Protecting Our Community Initiative’ by the NEEM Foundation has strengthen peaceful coexistence among the people.
Fielding questions from journalists, the District Liaison Officer, Aliyu Mohammed, said that the initiative seeks to address key issues such as grazing practices and security challenges that contribute to conflicts between farmers and herders.
“Their collaboration, which began with a joint debriefing and planning meeting, aimed to revitalizing traditional practices and ensure that peace structures were adopted at the community, local government, and state levels,” Mohammed said.
In their separate remarks, the Agom Kufana, His Royal Highness, Titus Dauda and the Emir of Kajuru, Alh. Alhassan Adamu respectively confirmed that the initiative has reduced tension in their localities in the last few years due to the intervention of NEEM Foundation and Hope for The Village Child Foundation, which was supported by the Karuna Centre for Peace.
High point of the event was the planting of trees at the palace of Agom Kufana and Emir of Kajuru, which signifies the symbol of unity and progress.
