The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu has said farmers/herders clashes have taken more lives than most of the crises seen in the country and the problem is still ongoing affecting the nation’s collective socio-economic interests.
Mr Ribadu made the remarks yesterday at House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on the ‘Recurring Annual Clashes Between Farmers And Herders In Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area Of Gombe State, And Neighbouring Local Government Areas, Including Other Regions Of The Country With Similar Incidents.’
Represented by Professor Abdullahi Mohammed Ya’u, Ribadu said his office has expanded its focus to tackle the security issues by addressing the issue through dialogue, community engagements in collaboration with all relevant authorities.
“The issue of the farmers/herders’ clashes or conflict has taken more lives than most of the crises we have in recent history. The problem is ongoing, a lot has been done to solve this problem and we still have the problem ongoing.
“We cannot say nothing has been done but the problem is still eating deep into our fabric of our collective interest, our national economy, our food security and social security. It is high we uncover this monster before it consumes all of us.
“The issue to some of us if we can look in recent histories, if we go back into history, we can agree we had these clashes in 30 years ago for instance we had this crisis but they didn’t take this dimension we are having. Why? Because over the years, there were all factors, mechanisms and people approach this kind of situations with all sincerity.
“Today, if there is a particular conflict or crisis, you hear all kinds of names, people don’t look at the causes of problem, people don’t try to find solutions to the problems, they always look at who is involved. If my brother is involved, if he is related to me, if he’s from my tribe, if he’s from my religion, I try to cover him. If we don’t turn out to be sincere to ourselves and truthful in handling this problem, it will continue to persist,” the NSA said.
Speaker of the House Tajuddeen Abbas said farmers/herders clashes which was hithertho seen as a regional or a confined conflict has taken a new dimension as it has expanded and grown into a wider conflict beyond the borders of many west African countries.
Represented by the deputy speaker, Benjamin Kalu, he said it was because of its implications for the collective good of the nation that the house resolved to take a critical look into the causes, nature, dimensions, actors, impact, and possible solution to the nagging national challenge.
Mr Abbas said: “The clashes have resulted in avoidable losses of lives and property. It is estimated that over 60,000 people have been killed since 2001. It ought not to be so.
“The number of deaths, injuries, and kidnapped persons constitutes an alarming situation and poses a serious national security challenge for Nigeria’s quest to attain food security and alternative foreign earnings from the agricultural sector. This menace requires urgent action to be taken.
“These conflicts have escalated in recent years and it is quite consequential to our national security. What is even more concerning is the appropriation of these conflicts by terror groups, bandits and international criminal organizations.
“This has had severe consequences including the restriction of farmers from access to their farmlands, leading to food price inflation, a high cost of living, unemployment, and loss of foreign earnings that would have accrued through the agricultural sector.”
In a presentation by its national president, Khalil Mohammed Bello, Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN), stated that, failure of states and federal governments to take sustainable actions contributed a lot to the escalation of the conflict.
He said: “Some laws emerging in some states, restricting the free movement of Pastoralists, is seen as an infringement on the principle of free movement of people which is a constitutional right of every Nigerian, did not in any way reduce conflicts, rather, it aggravated it.
“Inability of the National Assembly to pass a bill for an act to establish ‘Grazing Reserves’ in each of the state of the Federation in 2016. This was largely because Pastoralism, was seen as a profession practiced by mainly one ethnic group, so the bill was thrown out”.
Earlier, chairman of the committee, Bappa Aliyu Misau said, to address the root cause of the problem of clashes, need a multi-faced approach that integrates the effort of governments, private sector, civil society organisations.
“We must also explore investments in agricultural infrastructure such as adequate investment in irrigation systems, storage facilities, rural road network etc. conflict resolution and land management, continued investment in agricultural research and development, enhancing skills and knowledge of farmers and herders,” he stated.
