Minister Lai explains reasons herdsmen kill farmers

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers, which always results to the herders killing farmers and destroying their properties, have nothing to do with ethnic or religious issues.

The minister instead, said that the clashes should be blamed on environmental issues, promising that the Federal Government is commitment to finding a lasting solution to the clashes.

He stated this at a mini town hall meeting which he organized for the staff of the Nigerian Embassy in Berlin, Germany, and a cross-section of Nigerians residing in the European country on Friday, noting that contrary to the narrative being pushed in certain quarters that gives ethnic and religious coloration to the clashes, they were caused by purely environmental issues.

Mohammed explained that whereas Nigeria’s population in 1963 was about 48 million, it is now about 180 million, with the country’s land mass remaining the same, meaning there are more people per square kilometer and raising the chances of clashes over dwindling resources.

He also said that Lake Chad that used to provide water and other resources to more than 30 million people in four countries, including Nigeria, in the early 1960s has shrunk by about 90%, from 25,000 square kilometres to 2,500 square kilometres, thus forcing those affected to move south in search of resources.

“These and other reasons, like desertification, have altered the resource landscape, heightened competition for dwindling resources and raised the possibility of clashes between farmers and herders,” the Minister said, noting that the establishment of ranches is one sure way of reducing such clashes.

He, however, said that in resolving the crisis, both the farmers and the herders must be willing to shift slightly from their positions which are grounded in their way of life over centuries.

Alhaji Mohammed, who is in Berlin to attend a meeting of African Tourism Ministers on the sidelines of the International Travel Trade Fair in the German capital, said contrary to the fake news being peddled in the Social Media by naysayers, President Muhammadu Buhari is putting Nigeria back on its feet.

“The naysayers have taken to the Social Media to distort the situation in Nigeria. They are spending huge amounts of money to spread fake news about Nigeria, hoping it will override the string of achievements by the administration. That is why Nigerians at home and abroad must ensure they have access to authentic information. One way is to download the FGNiAPP on their hand-held devices. It is free!

“The economy is on a steady growth, as attested to be the latest report from the National Bureau of Statistics: The economy attracted $12.2 billion in foreign investments in 2017, up from $5.38 billion in 2016. That represents 138 per cent increase; the economy further consolidated its recovery from recession with GDP growing by 1.92 per cent in Q4 2017, compared to 1.40 per cent in Q3 2017 and a contraction of -1.73 per cent in Q4 2016; This means the economy ended 2017 with a growth of 0.82 per cent compared to a contraction of -1.58 per cent in 2016.

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“GDP Growth in Q4 2017 was driven by growth in crop production, crude production and natural gas, metal ores, construction, transportation and storage, trade, electricity and gas production, indicating that the Administration’s diversification effort is working,” he said.

For his part, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, commended the patriotism and dedication of Nigerians in Diaspora, especially those in Germany.

He said, “There is a burgeoning Nigerian community (in Germany) committed to the prosperity of Nigeria. They are well in tune with the policies of (the Nigerian) government and they are accomplished men and women and worthy ambassadors.”

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