Few days ago in Abuja, Kano state government organised a conference towards mitigating farmers/herders clashes. BODE OLAGOKE reports on the pre-conference and conference proper.
The problem
For years, Nigeria has witnessed conflicts between farmers and headers leading to loss of over 4,000 lives within seven years, with several injured. The conflict caused tensions and negatively affected the image of the country.
Government at the centre had taken various initiatives to end the problem, but fruitlessly. It however took the initiative of Kano state government recently to gather 500 experts from across the country, including researchers, security experts, government officials, academia and representatives of international agencies to prepare a blueprint on what should be done.
Pre-conference
The state governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had set up a 27-man committee led by the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Atairu Jega to “work towards planning and organising a befitting national conference on farmers-herders conflicts in Nigeria and select appropriate theme for the conference, select chairman, paper presenters/speakers, panelists, special guest(s) of honour, guests of honour, other dignitaries and delegates for the conference, as ell as appropriate date and venue for the event.
The committee was to also provide adequate publicity before and after the event, submit a report with observations and recommendations for appropriate action. It was also to examine ECOWAS protocol pertaining to the movement of cattle across member countries, of the sub-region.
The committee also had pro-chancellor, Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Prof Jibrila Dahiru Amin, former SSG, Niger state and professor of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan; Prof. Muhammad Yahaya Kuta, managing director, Guardian Newspaper, Mr. Martins Oloja, executive secretary, National Commission for Nomadic Education; Prof Bashir Haruna Usman; managing director L&Z Integrated Farms Ltd; M. D. Abubakar; chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Arch Kabiru Ibrahim, former Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative in Nigeria; Rabe Isah Mani, Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto; Prof. Aminu Ibrahim Daneji, Department of Sociology, Bayero University, Kano (BUK). Prof Isma’ila Zango, among others as members while the commissioner for information, Malam Muhammad Garba, served as secretary.
The governor recalled that in 2019, the federal government launched a 10-year National Livestock Transformation Plan to curtail the movement of cattle, boost livestock production and control the country’s deadly herder-farmer conflict, but inadequate political leadership, delays, funding uncertainties and a lack of expertise derailed the project alongside COVID-19 pandemic challenges.
According to Ganduje, the move by the federal government to establish the Ruga Settlement-which was received out of misconception with massive criticisms resulted in the suspension of the project in which contracts had already been awarded.
“There is also a clear sense which I think must be appreciated. That the federal government cannot dictate to states what to do with their land. This is so because the Land Use Act of 1978 puts land under the control of governors on behalf of their states. Even for use of federal lands in the states according to the Supreme Court, building or development control, permit must be sought from the governors of the states.
“I am a strong proponent of restriction of herders’ movements into Nigeria from neighbouring countries as part of solution to tackling herder/farmer clashes. However, another issue worth taking into account is the ECOWAS Protocol which Nigeria signed in 1998. This guarantees free movement to pastoralists, herders across the sub-region. As signatories to that protocol, Nigeria is obliged not to restrict the movement of herders and their cattle from other ECOWAS countries. This is an issue to be looked into.
“This has added a further complication to the problems we already have; besides most foreign herdsmen are exposed to the firearms market and are unknown to the local farming populace.”
The governor said his administration since inception has 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.
“You may wish to know that until our intervention, activities of cattle rustlers such as rape, killings, abduction and banditry had paralyzed economic activities in communities particularly in Sumaila and Doguwa local government areas, which left a lot of cattle farmers in a state of despair.
“We started by mobilising security agencies and hence the formation of a Police Anti-Cattle Rustling Squad, Ambush Squad and Tactical Observation points along the Falgore Forest. The police teams were deployed to Tundun Wada, Doguwa and Sunmaila local government areas of the state, and were given all the support they need to arrest the rustlers and prevent further loss of cattle in the state.
“A military formation was also established in the forest to further reinforce the police effort, in addition to the construction of four prototype security dormitories at Kano entrances that included rearing industry from socio-cultural to socio-economic venture.
It also aimed at putting an end to the persistent wandering of herdsmen and also help expand them economically. The Kano State Bureau of Statistics has undertaken a statistics of all herdsmen in Kano for planning purposes.”
The conference
The two-day conference had in attendance traditional rulers, government officials, other major stakeholders and experts.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, used the conference to declare that people were angry and hungry, hence the need to look for ways of dousing tension in the country.
The Sultan said the clashes between farmers and herders in Benue state has continued because all the suggestions made to the government were not implemented.
“Let’s keep politics aside. The issues of development especially for the common man should not be prioritised. These people that God Almighty gave leadership over, one day, God forbid, will rise up against us.
“I have been to Benue at least two times as Sultan to sit with the governor and traditional rulers to discuss peace in the Benue valley. At the end of it, the suggestions were thrown away. Let this conference not be in the same manner, let’s do it and let’s do well and now.
In his speech, Governor Ganduje said there is need for aiding information, education and strategic communication on the development of grazing reserves to mitigate the consequences of these conflicts.
According to him, “Modernising the livestock sector is not only key to resolving the herder-farmer conflict, but was envisaged that this economic investment pillar would support and strengthen the development of market-driven ranches for improved livestock production through breed improvement and pasture production.”
“It is also very important that we avoid the dangers of allowing these conflicts to harden religious or ethnic conflicts. This is the responsibility of political, religious and all other parts our leadership elite in Nigeria. It is my hope that this conference will produce a working document that would go a long way in mitigating conflicts between herders and farmers in this country.”
In his keynote address, the vice president of Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Mansur Muhtar, said various farmers-herders clashes that took place at various times across the country have claimed the lives of 4,000 people with several thousand others injured.
He said while fatalities were initially confined to the North-central, it has since spread across the country.
Muhtar said northern Nigeria has been the epicentre of this conflict, given the relatively poor performance of the region in terms of education, health and other human development indicators, this situation, he said is untenable.
In his opening remarks, chairman of the organising committee, Prof Jega, said the conference was designed as an all-inclusive process to generate ideas that would contribute to addressing an acute national problem.
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“As Nigeria searches for sustainable ways and means of diversifying its economy, a national strategic focus on the livestock sector and its perennial challenges is an imperative that has assumed significance.”
Recommendations
At the end of the two-day conference, it was recommended for the establishment of a Ministry of Livestock Resources.
According to a ommunique signed Prof Jega, it said, “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.
Similarly, they stressed 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.
They called on the united nations (UN) Agencies, Bilateral institutions, regional organisations (AU and ECOWAS), national and international CSOs and other support organisations to increase the level of funding and support to Nigeria in mitigating the Impact of climate change, addressing technology gaps, addressing poverty and skills gap and improving people’s livelihoods.
They also stressed the need to strengthen and Improve 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.
“There is 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.”
While appreciating the state government for the conference, participants urged Governor Ganduje to use his good office and influence to present the resolutions to the National Council of State and Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).