In 2019, the federal government of Nigeria launched a ten-year national livestock transformation plan to curb the movement of cattle, boost livestock production and end the incessant deadly herder-farmer conflict. But that project is yet to see the light of day due to the lack of political will, procrastination, funding uncertainties and a lack of expertise, which have all derailed the plan.
The federal and state governments are fraught with the arduous task of implementing the national livestock transformation plan that seeks to curb the movement of cattle across the country and reduce deadly herder-farmer conflict.
While the plan has earned the endorsement of many state governments, it faces significant challenges identified as deficient political leadership, popular misperceptions about its purpose, budgetary constraints, a lack of personnel with the expertise to carry it out and widespread insecurity.
But almost four years into the ten-year plan, it is yet to actualise. The worry at the moment is that if the plan fails like previous initiatives to modernise livestock management did, the herder-farmer clashes may escalate. In many states, especially in the North West, the proliferation of criminal gangs and other armed groups is cutting off access to grazing reserves and scaring away potential investors.
There is growing apprehension in the country that unless addressed, these and other problems could delay or even scuttle the plan, leaving the country vulnerable to an escalation of herder-farmer conflict, which could degenerate into wider ethnic, regional and religious violence.
One state governor who has taken it upon himself to ensure that the plan sees the light of day is Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano. In a bid to find lasting solution to farmers-herders clashes in Nigeria, Kano State government organised a National Conference on Livestock Reforms and Mitigation of Associated Conflicts.
In January this year, Ganduje inaugurated a committee tasked with organising a national conference which will proffer solutions to farmer-herder clashes. The 26-member committee was chaired by Attahiru Jega, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ganduje said the national livestock transformation plan (NLTP) proposed by the federal government to tackle the problem has not yielded results because of “inadequate political leadership”.
Explaining the basis for convening the national conference, the governor said, “Since assumption of office in 2015, we in Kano have led the way and have been pioneering the initiation of development-oriented interventions at reformation of the livestock sector to mitigate farmer-herder conflicts by tackling the issue headlong”.
On February 13 and 14, the Conference on Livestock Reforms and Mitigation of Associated Conflicts sponsored by the Kano State government was held at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja. The conference was declared open by Governor Ganduje. Goodwill messages were delivered by His Eminence, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar Ill, the Sultan of Sokoto; the Emir of Kano, HRH Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero; representative of the minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development; representative of the Senate president, and representatives of civil society organisations and development partners.
The vice president of the Islamic Development Bank and former minister of Finance, Dr Mansur Muktar, chaired the opening session while the Keynote address on sustainable livestock production in Nigeria was presented by the Registrar, Nigerian Institute of Animal Science, Prof Eustace A. Iyayi.
The event drew experts from different sectors, including scholars, professionals, captains of industry and practitioners in the field of agricultural development, value chain specialists and researchers in diverse fields of animal production.
Contributing to the resolutions of conference were experts from various fields, including specialists in range management veterinary services, economics, history, cultural studies, climate change, natural resources management, governance and conflict management.
In his welcome address on Monday, chairman of the oganising committee, Jega, said the conference was designed as an all-inclusive process to generate ideas that would contribute to addressing an acute national problem.
“As Nigeria searches for sustainable ways and means of diversifying its economy, becoming self-sufficient in food production as well as a major competitive exporter of Agro-allied products in the global economy; and becoming a stable, more cohesive developing democracy, a national strategic focus on the Livestock sector and its perennial challenges is an imperative that has assumed significance,” Jega said.
Declaring the conference open, Governor Ganduje stated that even though the Rural Grazing Areas (RUGA) or ranching had been deliberately politicised, it remains the only option that would to a greater extent mitigate existential problems.
He said to end the perennial crisis between the farmers and herders in Nigeria the pastoralists must be persuaded to move their cattle into ranches and grazing reserves across the country.
He listed aiding of information, education and strategic communication on the development of grazing reserves as a way of mitigating the consequences of these conflicts.
The governor noted that while modernising the livestock sector is not the only key to resolving the herder-farmer conflict, it is envisaged that the economic investment pillar will support and strengthen the development of market-driven ranches for improved livestock production through breed improvement and pasture production.
With this, he noted that pastoralists would have lands to graze without cattle encroaching on people’s farmlands because herders need fodder for their cattle.
He continued: “It is also very important that we must also avoid the dangers of allowing these conflicts to harden to religious or ethnic conflicts. This is the responsibility of political, religious and all other parts of our leadership elite in Nigeria.
“We must also intensify existing collaboration with our neighbours, especially border communities, to prevent the movement of small arms, and disarming armed pastoralists and bandits who go through our borders day after day.
“Predominantly nomadic pastoralists should be persuaded to move their cattle into established ranches and public grazing reserves, where breeding farms and other mechanized livestock management practices would bolster the sector’s productivity.”
On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto, told state governors to come up with concrete solutions to the farmers/herders conflict through creating grazing reserves rather than grandstanding that they do not have any land to cede for the project. The royal father noted that lands belong to God and not to the governors. He said Nigerians are both hungry and angry, urging the governors to do right by Nigerians.
The Sultan said. “Some governors would say they do not have land for grazing reserves. You don’t own the land. God owns the land. Let’s put politics aside and work for the people. As a governor, the highest you have is eight years and you go, but the people will remain.
“Let’s keep politics aside. The issue of development especially for the common man should be prioritized. These people that God Almighty gave you leadership over, one day, God forbid that they rise up against us.”
Also speaking, former minister of Finance and vice president of the Islamic Development Bank, Mansur Muhtar, said about 4,000 Nigerians had lost their lives and thousands of others maimed as a result of the perennial conflict between herders and farmers since 2016.
Muhtar noted that though conflicts between farmers and herders/pastoralists had been an issue of national concern, the northern part of Nigeria had remained the epicentre.
He said, “Between 2016 and now, at least 4000 people lost their lives in these conflicts, with several thousand others sustaining injuries, both physical and emotional. While fatalities were initially confined to the North Central, they have since spread across the country increasing pre-existing religious and ethnic tensions.
“In addition to the unfortunate loss of lives, this conflict has often been manifested by an increasing number of internally displaced persons, leading to the breakdown of family units, the bedrock of our society, and disruption in education, especially for young girls. This crisis has also undermined agricultural production compromising our nation’s food security, especially during these periods of rising food prices.”
On the last day of the conference, experts suggested ways to end the farmers/herders conflict. Among their resolutions, they recommended the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Resources at both the federal and state levels.
In a communiqué signed by chairman of the conference, Prof Jega, and issued at the end of the two-day national conference, they unanimously noted that the creation of the livestock ministry is in line with practices in many other West African countries.
The conferees noted however that in the alternative, federal and state governments should expand the scope of existing departments of livestock production to address the broader needs of the industry.
They also called for the creation of additional research institutions for beef, dairy and pasture production as a strategy for expanding funding and enacting policies and programmes for the development of the sector at all levels of government.
The communiqué stated: “Establish the Ministry of Livestock Resources In line with practice in many other West African countries. In the altemative, Federal and State Governments should expand the scope of existing Departments of Livestock Production to address the broader needs of the industry.
“Similarly, there is the need for the creation of additional research institutions for beef, dairy and pasture production as a strategy for expanding funding and enacting policies and programmes for the development of the sector at all levels of government.”
Accordingly, the confab urged the media to create awareness at all levels that will promote inclusive communities, strengthen harmonious relations to encourage government and private sector investments for cohesive societies and improved productivity.
They stated that profiling and reportage that malign socio-economic and ethnic groups must be avoided.
They also asked the United Nations (UN) agencies, bilateral institutions, regional organisations like AU and ECOWAS, national and international CSOs and other support organisations to increase the level of funding and support to the Nigerian government in mitigating the impact of climate change, addressing technology gaps, poverty and skills gap, as well as improve people’s livelihoods.
The conference also sought support for agricultural and pastoralists organisations, cooperative societies and relevant producer associations and professional bodies for improved productivity.
The conference resolved that there is need to revisit and review sub-national, national and regional laws, legislations and policies so as to make applicable reforms for improving livestock production and addressing conflicts.
It includes the need to adopt Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices, including the adoption of integrated approach to managing landscapes of croplands, rangelands, forests and fisheries that address the Interlinks between the quest for food security and mitigation of the challenges of climate change.
The conference called for strengthening and improving the security architecture for the prevention of violent crimes, including cattle rustling, raiding of villages, kidnapping of persons for ransom and trade in illicit arms and drugs.
It said, “There is the need to strengthen the process of litigation for more effective dispensation of justice and handling of the various litigations relating to violent crimes and other perpetrators of violent conflicts.
“There is the need to reform the security and judicial architectures to ensure the curtailing of farmer-herder conflicts, cattle rustlng, illegal arms trade, importation and proliferation in the country.
“Political leaders at all levels need to refrain from politicizing the issue of farmer-herder conflicts and other associated issues while pursuing inclusive processes that will strengthen unity and cooperation In the country.”
The participants urged Governor Ganduje to use his good office and Influence to present the resolutions and proceedings of this National Conference before the National Council of State and the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).
