Bauchi Resident Urges Gov Bala To Implement Past Committee Reports On Farmland Disputes

A concerned citizen of Bauchi State, Musa Azare, from Azare in Katagum local government area, has called on Governor Bala Mohammed to halt the frequent establishment of new committees on farmland allocation and instead focus on implementing the findings of previous ones.

Azare made the call in an open letter addressed to the governor, where he warned that setting up multiple committees without acting on their reports promotes inefficiency, wastes public resources, and erodes citizens’ trust in government.

According to him, the swift implementation of existing committee reports would streamline land administration, enhance agricultural development, reduce farmers-herders conflicts, and improve relations among communities across the state.

Azare said he learned through a LEADERSHIP Newspapers report dated January 15, 2026, that the Bauchi State Government had constituted another committee to monitor farmland allocations in forest reserves by local government councils, as part of efforts to curb recurring farmers-herders clashes.

While acknowledging that the move may appear commendable, he argued that the state does not need another committee but rather decisive action on the reports of previous panels already set up by the government.

He cited several committees established by the governor in the past, including the Air Commodore Tijjani Baba Gamawa Committee, which investigated farmers-herders conflicts in Misau Local Government Area following clashes that reportedly claimed nine lives and left six others injured.

Azare also referenced the late Surveyor Yahaya Baba Administrative Committee of Inquiry, inaugurated in July 2020, to investigate land disputes between farmers and herders caused by land-use abuse and illegal allocations across Bauchi State.

In addition, he mentioned the Mohammed Auwal Jatau Committee on land disputes in Darazo, which reportedly followed violent clashes that led to several deaths, including five officers of the Nigeria Police Force.

Despite these previous efforts, Azare expressed concern over the recent establishment of another panel, the Panel on Farmland Allocation in Forest Reserves, chaired by Saleh Umar Misau, Director of Inspectorate and Monitoring Services at the Ministry of Lands and Survey.

He stressed that the continuous creation of committees consumes huge amounts of time, money, and energy, while failure to implement their recommendations creates confusion and lack of direction in addressing land-related conflicts.

According to him, implementing the report of the late Yahaya Baba committee and the accompanying government White Paper would lead to the restoration of forest reserves, grazing reserves, and cattle routes that were illegally encroached upon or arbitrarily allocated.

He argued that such action would significantly reduce violent clashes and prevent further loss of lives, while fostering a more productive and peaceful agricultural environment in the state.

Azare further reminded the governor that many forest and grazing reserves, as well as cattle routes, were gazetted as far back as the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, and therefore cannot be de-reserved or allocated without due legal process.

He alleged that illegal allocations affect every local government area in Bauchi State, noting that in some councils, thousands of hectares of land were allegedly allocated to politicians who are neither farmers nor residents of the state, and who later sold the land to non-indigenes.

The citizen urged the governor to treat the issue of illegal land allocation with utmost seriousness, insisting that even if the government focuses solely on resolving the problem, it would be a worthwhile effort.

He also pointed out that the current Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Abdullahi Mohammed Gwaram, and the Special Adviser on Land Matters, Surveyor Yohanna Yashi, were members of the Yahaya Baba committee and should be in a position to properly advise the governor on the matter.

Musa Azare urged Governor Bala Mohammed to reconsider the continuous establishment of new committees without implementing existing reports, stressing that prioritizing action over bureaucracy would demonstrate effective leadership, protect farmers and herders, enhance food security, and drive economic growth in Bauchi State.