National Leader of the All Progressives Congress(APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has finally broke his silence on the renewed clashes between farmers and herders, asking the herders to embrace ranching system as a way to end the near perennial crisis being recorded in Nigeria.
Edu-Biznews recalled that several leaders including Chieftain of the Afenifere , Chief Ayo Adebanjo in the South West, Nigeria, where the crisis assumed worrisome dimension with the destruction of farmlands worth millions of naira and lost of lives, had accused Tinubu of keeping silence, because of his 2023 presidential ambition and to avoid confrontation with the President Muhammadu Buhari who is a Fulani man
But the former governor of Lagos State In a statement on Saturday by his spokesman, Tunde Rahman, says nomadic herders in the country must realise that they are fighting a “losing battle against modernity and climate change”, and so, must embrace a ‘sedentary’ mode of cattle-rearing."
The APC Chieftain expressed concern that some of the Nigerian Elites are behind the disturbing crisis, inciting farmers and herders to clash in the country
His words "Despite the efforts of some of those in positions of high responsibility and public trust, the crisis has not significantly abated. Sadly, others who should know better have incited matters by tossing about hate-tainted statements that fall dangerously short of the leadership these people claim to provide. We all must get hold of our better selves to treat this matter with the sobriety it requires.”
According to Tinubu, “The herder-farmer dispute has taken on acute and violent dimensions. It has cost too many innocent lives while destroying the property and livelihoods of many others. It has also aggravated ethnic sentiment and political tension"
He however called for adequate compensation for those innocent and law-abiding farmer and herder for the losses they have suffered. “Both need further assistance to break the current cycle of violence and poverty".
Tinubu also asked the Federal Government to convene a meeting of state governors, senior security officials, herders and farmers representatives, along with traditional rulers and religious leaders.
He explained that “The purpose of this meeting would be to hammer out a set of working principles to resolve the crisis,”
The APC chieftain stressed the urgent need to come up with policies that will help, amongst other things, the herders to transform to a more sedentary method of cattle-rearing.
“Help the herders’ transition to more sedentary but more profitable methods of cattle-rearing. Unoccupied public land can be fenced into grazing areas or ranches and leased to herders on a very low-cost, nominal basis. The leasing is not intended to penalize herders.
“Rather, the nominal fee is intended to ensure the herders are invested in the project and incentivized (by reason of their investment) to use the land provided.
“This aspect will also mitigate any resentment over herders being given land for free. Government, in turn, being a responsible lessor, must help with supplemental feed and water in these areas. This will enable herders to better maintain and care for their livestock thus enhancing their incomes,” he added.
For the farmers, Tinubu asked the proposed meeting to find ways of assisting them" the meeting should resolve to “assist farmers increase productivity by supporting or providing subvention for their acquisition of fertilizer, equipment and machinery and, also, by establishing commodity boards to guarantee minimum prices for important crops”
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