Committee recommends creation of livestock ministry to curb farmers/herders clash

A committee set up by the Federal Government to come up with solutions to the incessant cases of farmers/herders clashes across the country has recommended the establishment of a Ministry of Livestock.

The National Livestock Reforms Committee which submitted its report to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, said the Ministry will “supervise issues of farmers/herders clashes in the country as well as reform the business of livestock rearing in the country.

The delegation which was led by
former Kano State Governor and National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, noted that the “report grew out of the urgent need to reform and develop the livestock industry and to provide solutions to the age-long conflicts between herders and farmers in Nigeria.”

Ganduje who spoke to journalists after the meeting with Tinubu, said the Committee took into consideration the different types of herdsmanship in the country in coming with its report.

Read also: Nat’l livestock plan to address animal husbandry, farmers/herders clash, not cows alone —NEC

“There are those that settle at home, there are the ones who are Nigerians that move from different parts of the country to another, there are herdsmen that come from neighbouring West African countries as well as the ones that have settled among certain ethnic nationalities that have become indigenes of the area,” Ganduje said.

“It is gratifying to lead this team of patriotic Nigerians and experts in various fields of human endeavour before Mr. President to present the report of the national conference on livestock reforms.

“Similarly, the conflicts is resulting in killings of citizens and loss of livelihoods, further affecting peaceful coexistence in the country.

“With increasing populations, ecological changes such as soil erosion and degradation of grazing areas and changing climates, adopting innovative crops and livestock production practices are no longer luxury but an essential investment that this people centred administration under your leadership needs to vigorously pursue.

“There have been repeated attempts to develop the livestock industry with varying levels of failures and successes.

“The adoption of improved production practices that will increase productivity and help the cattle owners to permanently settle have been abysmal due to many factors such as inadequate planning and funding of programmes, weak extension services as well as other cultural, economic and technological barriers.

“The persistence of these problems has allowed unhealthy competition and acrimony to grow among farmers and herders resulting to violent conflicts across the country,” the former governor said.

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