By Abel Leonard, Lafia
Fulani leaders across the 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State have called on the federal and state governments to revive abandoned nomadic schools as part of efforts to end the recurring clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria.
The appeal was made in Lafia on Friday during a stakeholders’ engagement, organised by the Fulbe Development and Cultural Organisation (FUDECO), with the theme: ‘Consolidating the Outcomes of the IDRC-SPARC GES Research Findings on the Economic Empowerment of Pastoralist Women in Nasarawa State.’
Speaking at the event, the Nasarawa State Chairman of FUDECO, Muhammad Hussaini, said ignorance and lack of education among pastoralists remain key factors fuelling the persistent crises.
“We are calling on the government at all levels to revive and re-open nomadic schools because we see it as a solution to the clashes between herders and farmers. Most of the things happening in our pastoralist communities can be traced to ignorance. So, promoting Nomadic education, is very important,” he said.
Hussaini emphasised that educating children of pastoralists would not only enlighten them but also reduce their vulnerability to conflict and social exclusion.
“We want children of pastoralists to be educated and enlightened. This will enable them to understand the dangers of engaging in any form of crisis in society,” he added.
He also spoke on the recent empowerment of over 250 pastoralist women across the state, who received vocational training, start-up capital, and other forms of support through a project sponsored by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC), with funding from UKAID.