The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, (SAN) has called for stakeholders engagement in resolving the protracted farmer/herder conflict in the country.
Malami made the call at the AB Dikko Memorial Symposium, held in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, on Saturday, 22nd February, 2020.
He said that farmer/herder crisis was real and therefore, required real-time and practical-oriented solutions.
According to the Minister, community-oriented approach was likely to yield greater dividend in diffusing and eventually eliminating the menace that had retarded economic development and created wide-spread insecurity.
He noted that, addressing farmer-herder crisis from purely theoretical perspectives often devoid of reality and without synchronization with the needs and aspirations of the involved stakeholders, was not only counter-productive, but inimical to the emergence and sustenance of a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.
Malami, therefore advocated for setting-up of regulated grazing reserves to replace the “Burtali” or “Hurumi” pastoral system and intensive enlightenment to livestock breeders on the need for sedentary farming and transhumance agriculture as complimentary economic process to nomadic farming.
He said provision of water holes in remote grazing locations, subsidized veterinary care and mobile ambulatory services for surgeries and other medical interventions for livestock would be of great help.
Emphasizing the need to provide social amenities, educational facilities and cattle markets at central locations to accelerate nomadic settlements, Malami said educating communities on the need for peaceful co-existence and community engagement for bridge-building in community relations are of utmost importance.
”Revamping the activities of the Nomadic Education Commission with a view to complimenting the efforts of government is essential in resolving the farmer-herder clashes”, the Minister added.
