From: Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin-Kebbi
Fifteen African countries have sought good education for herdsmen and their families to end incessant crisis with farmers.
They noted that if the herdsmen were planting grass for their animals gracing, their movement would be restriction easily.
The countries, under the aegis of Association of the Promotion of Livestock Breeding in Sahel and Savanna (APESS), converged in Birnin- Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital, at the weekend, to find lasting solution to the crisis.
The countries in attendance includes; Niger Republic, Cameron, Mali, Benin Republic, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mauritian, Nigeria, among others. Each country spokes in their national languages and interpreted to the participants.
Speaking with journalists after the opening ceremony of the workshop, chairman of the association in Kebbi State, Dr. Usman Sheu Umar, disclosed that they have realised that to solve incessant disputes between farmers and herdsmen, education would play a major role.
Said he, “Whenever there is any organisation, there are leaders. It is the responsibilities of these leaders to ensure that members are following rules and regulation. We have the rules that we use to punish those that committed any offence. What we are doing now is to emphasis on important of education to our members.
“Education is very important. Once they are educated, there lives will be improved. The problems we are facing right now will be reduced. The children ,if they were educated, they would promote peace,if there is no peace, there can’t be any meaningful development.
“All the stakeholders were invited here which include AFAN, women. We are finding a way by which farmers will be doing their farming peacefully while herdsmen will also be gracing their animals peacefully. Whether we like it or not ,it is the same land that farmers and herdsmen would be using.
” The must difficult thing here is the availability if pastures, water for herdsmen and animals and farmers too need water.
“The problem is lack of awareness among the farmers and herdsmen. So, this is what we are trying to find out lasting solution to.”
Vice President of APESS, Amirou Baraboule, in his message to the cattle breeders, said all the membership country came to Birnin-Kebbi to discuss issues affecting them stressing that the host state would start benefiting from the workshop because they collaborate with NGO to improve their livestock.
Wife of Kebbi State Governor, Hajia Aisha Abubakar Bagudu, in her remarks, disclosed that over 118 nomadic schools have been renovated by present administration to ensure that children of herdsmen have access to quality education.
She said that the government is ready to pay for their NECO and WAEC examinations stressing that they must ensure that they registered their wards through Ministry of Women Affairs.
Hajia Aisha Bagudu appealed to Fulani’s parent to Errol their boys and girls children in schools adding that they must also inculcate habit of planting grass annually to curb frequent migration of their animals in search of pastures.