JOHN ADAMS MINNA
The Niger state government has said that in other to Minimize the frequent clashes between the farmers and Herders in the country, the herders should be made to graze within states that are receptive to them.
The government also said that the gazing of animals on cattle trails in the 24th century should not only be discouraged as it is now antiquated, the focus should be on how to modernize cattle rearing in the country.
The state commissioner for information and strategy, Mallam Danjuma Salawu made the government position known in a paper “Transhumance and international Migration; effect on peace and development in Niger” he delivered before the participant of the Executive intelligence course 12 of institute for security studies, Abuja who are on study tour the state.
According to the commissioner, modernization of cattle rearing in Nigeria will not only create jobs and ensure food security, it will end the vexation of farmers-herders conflicts.
Mallam pointed out that in Europe, farm model is within a confined paddock “which in most cases are not bigger than a football field and their exist other farms that specialize in growing hay, grains and other animals”.
“Therefore the establishment of ranches and grazing land seem attractive and a simple way out of the Herders/farmers crashes which has claimed lives”.
The commissioner disclosed that out of the 415 grazing reserves in the country, 23 of them are located in Niger state but regretted that only two of them have been gazetted.
The two gazetted reserves are the one in kampani Bobi covering 30,222 hectares of land and Iri gazing reserve, stressing that “the present administration in the state has put in place some facilities to enable the herders and their cattle to settle down these reserves”.
He therefore suggested that “to solve the problem of farmers herders clashes, a committee should come up with holistic solutions which will deal with the problem of encroachment into farm lands, incitement and credible plans to Integrate the herders fully into the Nigeria society”.
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