Th e Sarkin Sudan of Kontagora, Alhaji Saidu Namaska, has donated three grazing reserves of 450 hectares of land to herdsmen in Niger state as part of eff orts to ensure peaceful coexistence between Fulani and farmers in his kingdom. Director General, Nomadic Aff airs to the Niger state government, Alhaji Alhaji Ardo Abdullahi Babayo, disclosed this in a chat with journalists at the weekend. Speaking after inspection of the grazing reserves, Babayo said he was overwhelmed by the kind gesture of the royal father, adding that “the Sarkin Sudan has always done all that is possible to ensure continued peace and unity among the Fulani herdsmen and farmers in his domain.”
He said the monarch had also relocated settlements within the reserve areas to avoid unnecessary clashes, adding that each reserve measured about 150 hectares of breeding grasses. While commending the Sarkin Sudan for his kind gesture, the director-general noted that no crisis had been recorded in Kontagora emirate because of the royal father’s concern for the wellbeing of the herders and their animals. He appealed to other royal fathers to emulate the Sarkin Sudan by providing grazing reserves for herders, noting that “this will go a long way in curbing the problems of encroaching into farm lands by Fulani men.” Babayo advised Fulani herdsmen to reciprocate the kind gesture of the Sarkin Sudan by avoiding farm lands, adding that they should restrict themselves to the grazing reserves provided by the royal father. He said “I hereby advise herders to keep off from farms, feed only in areas where there is no farm so that we can continue to live together as one family whether you are a farmer or a herdsman.”
