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From: Linus Oota, Lafia
The General Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Baba Othman Ngelzarma, has asked members of the group to embrace the government policy on grazing reserve as part of efforts to reduce incessant clashes between farmers and herdsmen in Nigeria.
He, however, blamed the escalation of the crisis on the inability of the Federal Government in the last 30 years to formulate a policy on livestock sector of the economy, adding that farmers/herdsmen crisis in Nigeria will continue until the grazing reserve policy of the federal government is implemented.
Ngelzarma who made the call during an advocacy and sensitization visit on the development of grazing reserves and stock routes in Awe local government area of Nasarawa State organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with MACBAN and farmers.
The National Secretary told the Fulani to embrace the federal government policy on grazing reserve where social amenities such as schools, hospitals, Dams and boreholes will be provided within the grazing reserve for the herdsmen.
He commended the federal government for taking steps to develop existing grazing reserves, adding that there are about 415 grazing reserve in the country out of which 144 has been gazetted, saying a quick solution to the menace is the development of the 144 gazetted grazing reserves located mostly in the north.
Speaking earlier, Chairman of the association in Nasarawa State, Alhaji Hussein Muhammed, explained that Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura has approved the released of Seven grazing reserve lands for herdsmen to graze as a panacea to frequent clashes between nomads and local farmers.
Alhaji Hussein revealed that the grazing reserves are located in Wamba, Awe, Keana, Obi, Doma, Nasarawa and Karu local government areas of the state and advice the farmers residing in the affected areas to move out of the land and allow the Fulanis to settle down and graze.
According to him “The building of nomadic schools for our children, hospitals, Dams, boreholes and construction of access roads to each grazing reserve as promise by the government is a welcome development, no Fulani man should destroy farmer’s crops any longer and no farmer should kill our cow again, the boundaries have been clearly spelt out
“The grazing reserves especially this one in Awe was created in 1965, my advice to farmers is that they should Park out of the grazing reserves areas, no farmer should settle within the grazing areas except the Fulani” he warned
Also speaking, National coordinator of grazing reserve and stock at federal ministry of Agriculture and Rual Development Alhaji Mahmud Ibrahim who doubles as the team leader for the sensitization appeals to the Fulani to embrace the grazing reserve policy of the federal government as a solution to end the crisis
He explained that the budget for the provision of social amenities in the grazing reserve has already been provided in the 2017 budget of the federal ministry of Agriculture and implementation would commence as soon as the budget is pass into Law.
