The creation of a new Ministry of Livestock Development as announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on Tuesday, 9th July, 2024, is a welcome development fraught with security and economic pitfalls. The jubilation of members of the radical cattle breeders’ group in Nigeria, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, and the raucous silence of local farming communities in reaction to the newly created ministry are both instructive. As welcome as this development appears, it should be handled with great care to prevent its wrongful diversion by unpatriotic elements to exacerbate the violent conflicts, tension and other mischiefs which the presidential innovation is supposed to cure. This caveat has become necessary given the high-wired fundamental emotions which livestock production management debates have always generated in Nigeria. Worrisome too is what appeared like substantial promotion of some highly inflammatory livestock development registers even on the ground of the announcement of the creation of the new ministry....READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
In all honesty, it will be antithetical for a ministry designed to “reform” livestock development in Nigeria in the 21st century digital world to mention revival of grazing reserves, grazing routes or promotion of analogue method of livestock production. The history of grazing reserves dates as far back as 1965 when the Northern Nigeria Grazing Reserve Law created 415 grazing reserves covering a cumulative space of 4,275,326 hectares of land in the area which has now been carved into the 19 States of Northern Nigeria.
It suffices to say that contrary to insinuations in some quarters by some interested groups, the grazing reserve law was purely a state law which operation in the new states created out of the defunct Northern region is not and cannot be automatic. It requires an adoption law to become operational in any State including the new States carved out of the Northern region. Above all, that the grazing reserves law did not make mention of grazing routes, ostensibly because it criminalized open grazing. This is proof that the grazing reserves were meant to host ranches and appurtenant facilities necessary for effective operations of the ranches and nothing else. These appurtenant facilities would under normal circumstances include veterinary centres, dairy processing plants, farm houses et cetera.
The practice of itinerant or nomadic livestock production which is susceptible to many abuses and the question of access to grazing reserves through grazing routes have been at the centre of fatal clashes between herdsmen and farmers in different parts of Nigeria. This outdated method of livestock production has cost Nigeria a lot in human limbs and lives as well as valuable properties which have been consumed in herdsmen and farmers’ clashes. These violent clashes usually occur when the cattle supposedly on transit to grazing reserves veer off their routes and stray into farms to graze on and destroy economic crops. Such incidents which are condoned by the often malevolent herders have negative economic implications on farmers and often provoke the farmers to invoke their rights to protect their crops and economic investments from harm. The herders/farmers violent clashes are often sparked when the herders resist the farmers’ attemtpts to protect or abate the destruction of their economic crops. As at now, these farmers/herders clashes rank second (after Bokoharam insurgency) in the factors that cause violent deaths in Nigeria. In fact, the quest for the creation of more grazing reserves in the hinterlands of Southern Nigeria and the continuation of open grazing has engendered the massive infiltration of Nigeria by members of Islamic terrorist groups who wreck havoc on economic crops and maim or kill innocent Nigerians. These have informed agitations for the reformation of the outdated analogue method of livestock farming to abolish grazing reserves, grazing routes and open grazing in Nigeria. Recently, the immediate past governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, set the pace by banning open grazing in Benue State. Other states like Ebonyi, Plateau, Ogun, Abia States have banned open grazing in their respective territories. In place of open grazing of livestock which has been certified as a cause of security and health challenges as well as hunger and food insecurity, ranching which is currently the global best form of livestock farming/production with maximum output, innumerable value chain and zero security challenge is advocated.
The prominent mentions of “revival of grazing reserves”, “grazing routes” and “nomadic herding” at the launch of a ministry created to “reform” livestock development in Nigeria is not just repulsive but also suspicious. One wonders where the so-called reform is located in all these. The use of the volatile livestock farming practice in West Africa where troubled Nigeria is a major player as a reference point makes the whole creation exercise to appear repulsive and unattractive. Hence, it is allegedly seen as a subterfuge for Jihad designed to further enhance the predatory system of livestock production and to forcefully divest local communities of their lands for the creation of Ruga Settlements in different parts of Nigeria. It is allegedly feared that these will aggravate the security challenges of our dear country and heighten the hunger and food insecurity in the land.
The Tinubu presidency must avoid these pitfalls by ensuring that the new Ministry of Livestock Development formally abolishes open grazing and all forms of nomadic livestock production; and debunks the phantom claims on non-existent grazing routes. In their places, modern ranches should be established in states where grazing reserves exist in the interest of peace, security of lives and properties. This will enhance food production and end hunger and food insecurity. An outright abolition of open grazing and introduction of ranches will, more than anything, curb the unmitigated influx of terrorists from other African countries into Nigeria under the pretext of open grazing and offer young Nigerian nomadic herders the opportunity of stable living and self-development in the form of education and skill acquisition to enable their reintegration as functional members of the Nigerian society….READ FULL ARTICLE
