CATTLE RANCHING AS A PANACEA TO HERDSMEN CRISIS IN NIGERIA

CATTLE RANCHING AS A PANACEA TO HERDSMEN CRISIS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Establishment of ranches and the movement of beef instead of cattle have been identified by stakeholders as ways to end the incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the country. Over the years there have been uncountable clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Benue state, and other part of the country which have resulted to loss of lives and properties with several others being displaced from their homes. The clashes are fast becoming unbecoming, and a major scourge confronting the nation which is begging for urgent intervention of the Federal Government. No less than ten reported cases have occurred since the beginning of the year and government has not come out with a concrete plan to contain the scourge.
According to a publication of the daily independent on March 9, said the activities of these herdsmen if not checked could result to war which at this time will not be good enough for the country. They, therefore, called for the establishment of ranches so as to allow the herdsmen feed their cattle in a concentrated area, instead of moving them around and destroying peoples’ farms.

According to Mr Emmanuel Ijewere, Coordinator of Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), explained that government should convince the herdsmen that animals loose more weight when they walk around and they gain more weight if they are in one place. He said they should also be convinced that those clashes are not in their own best interest and those farmers will continue to resist and fight back. Ijewere particularly advised government to provide properly designated grazing areas that must have water, stressing that government must adopt a policy of moving beef and not cattle. “Government must adopt a policy of let start moving beef and not cattle. That policy means that abattoirs in central places like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Benin City all those central places will no longer exist.
“We will slaughter the cattle nearer where they are reared; it will reduce all these clashes. It can be done, you can move more beef than you move cattle, if it is done in more structured manner. That is what developed countries of the world do,” he said, adding that “we are not the only ones that eat meat in the world, but other countries of the world don’t move cattle the way we do. They move these cattle recklessly, those are some of the reasons you have these clashes.”
Similarly, AngaSotonye, National Publicity Secretary of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria, noted that government should create a location where these herdsmen will be able to stay, feed and grow their cattle without necessarily moving their cattle from Kano to Lagos.

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CATTLE RANCHING AS A PANACEA TO HERDSMEN CRISIS IN NIGERIA