By Joseph Erunke ABUJA—THE Fulani in Nigeria have said they will not accept cattle ranching because the country’s geographical location was not suitable for it.

Besides, the Fulani said the species of cows they had, as subsistence livestock farmers, were not good for ranching in the country, saying they could only be confined to ranching if their livestock were replaced with breeds suitable for it.

This was even as they said the anti-open grazing laws being established by state governments would die a natural death like ‘political sharia law’ in Zamfara.

According to them, the laws are being used as campaigns by some people to win votes in 2019 elections.

Addressing newsmen, yesterday, in Abuja, through their socio-cultural association under the aegis of Miyetti-Allah Kautal Hore, the Fulani insisted that events in history showed that ranching was not practicable in Nigeria and to this end, urged the Federal Government to immediately stop state governments from enacting anti-open grazing laws.

National Secretary of Miyetti-Allah Kautal Hore, Saleh Alhassan, who read the association’s prepared speech to newsmen at the event, called on the Federal Government to stop state governments, especially Benue and Taraba states, from going ahead with implementing the laws.

He said: “The whole experiment of ranching in Nigeria is a total failure, you can google it, it’s there on the Internet for everyone to see.

“ Right from the 70s,the old Gongola State had experimented ranching, the same with Kaduna State and even the old Plateau State. All the ranches collapsed because the geographical location of this country is not suitable for ranching.

“In places where there are successful ranching in the world, the volume of rain per annum in those areas is at least four to seven months, that’s why you have grasses that can naturally be sustained.

“At the same time, you must have the necessary breeds that will support even ranching.

The current breeds we have in this country cannot be supported by ranching. “Anywhere you keep these volume of cows we have now, for two weeks, they will eat out everything and you will have ecological disaster, “he said.

Alhassan said the purpose of the briefing, coming barely a week after the previous one, was to further reassert the position of the Fulani on the anti-grazing laws enacted by state governors and their opposition to it.

He said:  “ We view the anti-grazing law as an agenda to destroy our means of livelihood by visionless and desperate politicians.

“Anti-grazing laws are nothing but populist agenda   designed by visionless and desperate politicians to destroy our means of livelihood.

“This dangerous gambit must be nib in the bud by the federal government through the security agencies as it portends great danger to the cooperate existence of the country.

“These laws are oppressive and negative and are fundamentally against our culture as Fulani pastoralists,   against our economic interest and   against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“It is important to note that inter-state movement of pastoralists is similar to inter-state commerce and it is only the National Assembly that can legislate on that aspect as captured in item 62 of the exclusive legislative list. So no state governor can decide to stop movement of pastoralists because that is their own form of commerce. So, they have gone against the constitution.

“The laws do not take into cognisance our sociology, our economic interest, our production patterns, climate variations and factors that pushed pastoralists into these migrations. These migrations are not picnics, they are detected by ecological needs.

“It is a common knowledge that the primitive form of agriculture practiced in Benue and Taraba states and indeed all over the country, is not consonant with global best practices. “

So why singling out the pastoralists and insist that they must ranch which is the global best practice? That’s out argument.

“If the whole agricultural policy, the whole development of agriculture in Nigeria is still at this primitive stage, you cannot single out the herders who are also farmers that they must practice global best practice, it’s not possible.”

Alhassan insisted that Benue State government breached the constitution by stopping open grazing, given that the River Benue Basin, its tributaries and lakes were under the control of the federal government. “Again, very fundamentally,the River Benue and the tributaries and also the international routes and roads that pass through Benue don’t belong to Benue State Government, they belong to the Federal Government.

Benue State Government has no jurisdiction over River Benue, its tributaries, the lakes, the river basins, they are all federal government’s. So how do you now start to legislate to   say ‘you are going to stop access to those natural resources?’

“Between January and and early May,is when pastoralists move to the river basins because that is the peak of dry season and most of the rivers pastoralists use to water their animals dried up and they now move towards the River Benue.

“So designing a policy that will exclude the herders completely is wrong, what they should have done is to have restricted areas for the herders and then give them access to grazing corridors and watering points during those peak periods of dry season.

“As cultivation comes up during the rainy season, these people naturally migrate northwest. So, it’s detected by climatic changes. That’s why we are saying it’s not possible, the law will not work because it’s not well thought out.

“Then for you to create a ranch, the environmental impact assessment must be done on the areas earmarked for the ranch, and it must not take a minimum of two to three seasons. That’s to say you must do studies during the wet season, do studies during the dry season and then repeat it so that you compare before you can say this place is suitable for a ranch.

“So ranch is technologically driven, it’s capital intensive and it’s not practicable for this kind of subsistence farmers we have, the livestock farmers are subsistence farmers. It’s just like saying nobody will cultivate his land if he doesn’t own a tractor, so how many people will go to farm? “

So, it’s not that we don’t want to respect law and order but when you make an impossible laws, then you are not creating peace. You are either deliberately attempting to provoke conflict for either political reasons or you are being hoodwinked and deceived by desperate political advisers just probably because they want to get money out of you, they make you create laws that will create conflict.”

The Miyetti-Allah Kautal Hore scribe continued:”In particular, the Benue Valley which has been causing problem in land resources, we have issue of population and nature and pattern of settlement. It’s not just the herders that can be blamed for it.

“If you look at it typically, the Tiv people have the culture of nomadic farming, if they farm this year here, the next year they move to another location and their culture of reproduction is such a manner that it has made useless of land tenure system.

“ There’s   no Tiv farmer that will tell you that ‘we have a family land’   because of the fragmentation of the land, because of the number of children they have, they cannot inherit any parcel of land. So they now straddle along communities in the Benue Valley and neigbouring states’ lands belonging to other communities and fallow lands that pastoralists use for grazing, they will cultivate them in a very extensive primitive manner, occupying large hectares of land.

“If they cultivate here this year, the next year, they move to other places. That is why they have problem in Nasarawa border communities, they have problem in Taraba border communities. All those areas are extensively being cultivated, there is no mechanization any where, and there’s no modern farming. So, with the pressure on the land resource, if you want to address it, you cannot just single out the herders and say ‘they must be kept in one place without making any provisions for them.’”

According to him, the anti-open grazing laws were being targeted at Fulanis and their livestock.

“And these laws, if you look at them, they are targeted at the pastoralists because one, you have not provided any space for them and you ask them to go and buy land to create ranches when the context of the law you created, you have already poisoned the minds of the people that own the land, that you are creating this law because of the crisis that is in place. So who will allow anybody to have access to the land?

“So our point is that if the government is serious, they should make land available to us after all, the Land Use Act vests lands in the hands of state governors. So they should give us land so that we can practice our occupation.”

He said contrary to beliefs in some quarters land trespass has been the source of Fulani and farmers crisis in Benue, it was rather cattle rustling, youth unemployment and what he called rural banditory, wondering why there was pending cases of land trespass in any law court in the state.

“I challenge the Benue State Government to tell us how many court cases that have to do with trespass on land are before the courts in Benue? Or is it that they don’t have faith in the judiciary that they don’t take cases there?

“So, it’s not a question of trespass on land, that’s just the truth. I want people to understand that these conflicts we are having year in and year out, the major drivers are not on trespass on land. Rather,   the drivers are cattle rustling, rural banditory, youth unemployment and desperate politicians that want to create crisis so they can sustain themselves in power, “he added.

Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/11/nigerian-fulani-wont-accept-ranching-miyetti-allah/

Dead country aswear

ok

If it was in the days of Moses, thunder would have fired this man while he yet spoke

These clowns are funny. You say banning open grazing because of interstate clause but the open grazing only effects activities within paticular state. Next you can buy better breed of cattle. Your cattle are skinny because ur constantly moving them hence why they don't gain weight or produce much milk. If you want grass year round buy hay and irrigate land.

stop making to much noise just relocate to kastina or zamfara and continue ur what so ever

You will not accept it because you own africa. May thunder, just fresh from amadioha destroy you

He spoke a million things without saying a word about the reason why these laws are being enacted. He cares nothing for the human lives lost to these murderous herdsmen. When a rising against the murderous herdsmen happens in this country, there maybe no place for them to hide.
The earlier modern systems are embraced, the better for all.


In the meantime, the best solution against this attitude by Miyetti Allah is for Southerners to go into Cattle Ranching on a large scale.

Na which kain country be this sef? So u guys want to continue mauling and maiming ur hosts because of ur useless cows?This guy should be arrested asap bt who is gonna bell the cat ?nobody would because their chief sympathizer and son is on the seat,so the rest of us can only wish justice is served..This people's sense of entitlement is simply nauseating,Nigerians should better wake up and realize they ve a very big cankerworm that has eaten and still is eating deep into our existence,these Fulfulde people won't be and won't let us be too because they be a sinister plan to subjugate all of us...

Interesting points raised by the herdsman.

But I think ultimately the onus lies on them to solve this problem. The herdmans have admitted that those land don't belong to them. They can't force themselves on someone else land.

They need to co-operate (merge their business), acquire the land and breeds they need and move on. Normadic farming is a stale practice, because of the danger it poses to other peoples lives, livelihood and lifestyle.

“Then for you to create a ranch, the environmental impact assessment must be done on the areas earmarked for the ranch, and it must not take a minimum of two to three seasons. That’s to say you must do studies during the wet season, do studies during the dry season and then repeat it so that you compare before you can say this place is suitable for a ranch. 

Nonsense climate isn't a mystery. The weather patternstation are documented well enough you can accurately predict results any time of the year. Your won't need to do multiple studies wet and dry season to have reasonable guess.

So these idiots want to continue the killing spree.Local people should rise up and put them where they rightly belong.
Meanwhile Sambisa forest is a free land today according to the APC government.Bleep these killer Malians and Lybian.

So, their complain is that rain does not fall. Have they heard of irrigation before ?

Well, if there is no good climate, they should leave the business and let those who can build ranches to rear cattles. The time for illiterates to raise cows seem to be over, cos they are not capable of rational thinking. Irrigation can replace the need for rain. And growing the ruminant plants will end their destruction of crops.

Which set of human beings will expose a farm where humans grow human food to cows, because they love cows more than human lives.

Talk of people still in the dark ages. They sell their cattle for cash but don't want to incur operating expenditure

God punish una, make una go graze where them don ban una nau.

He wants the FG to stop the State Governments from enacting Anti-Open Grazing laws?

So, this is the most intelligent person the fulani herdsmen could get to lead them?

Atleast fayose did something right by being the first governor to have this law in place.

Enough of murderous blood sucking fulani herdsmen terrorizing people on their farmlands

I'm sorry but the law has been made, go against it and you'll be dealt with as the law stipulates. So your acceptance is inconsequential.

When you are the oppressor/privileged, equality seems like persecution.

Their ramblings shouldn't be given the credence of serious thought.

No be their fault...

Fulanis are been persecuted for going about their normal businesses. How can you expect Fulani herdsmen to confine their cattles to a ranch when we know they have the right to graze their cattles in any part of the country as Nigerian citizens? The law says any Nigerian can live and work in any part of the country so we should learn to tolerate the Fulani herdsmen. Why can't we confine the Igbo's who travel all over Nigeria for business to the east but instead Fulanis? Are there no bad people amongst the migrating igbos? We rely on their cattle for meat and milk production but instead of encouraging their business we're banning them. Fulanis are peaceful people, the killers posing as fulanis are cattle rustlers. I hope miyetti Allah win this case in court. We say no to ranching

i wholeheartedly support the opinions of miyetti Allah

buhari should investigate fayose,ortom and the other pleatue state governor for infringement on the right of movement of the herds men

fulanis are peaceful hardworking men. only IPOB are terrorist

sai baba till 2023

their points are very weak, before now they have been threatening hell if the anti grazing law is passed now they are beginning to realize that alas they are strangers where they have been perpetuating all their atrocities. Simple solution is that they need to start acting like true businessmen and stop relying on free land for their cattle, you wanna do business? acquire the land legally, pay for it and be ready to comply with all extant laws and regulations, the days of freebies in Nigeria are coming to an end, we now even pay for the thrash we dispose from out houses now. The Fulanis must wake up to 21st century realities

It's high the fulanis behave themselves before a non-fulani President emerge and declare them terrorists like the way ipob has been declared.

whateverkay:
Fulanis are been persecuted for going about their normal businesses. How can you expect Fulani herdsmen to confine their cattles to a ranch when we know they have the right to graze their cattles in any part of the country as Nigerian citizens? The law says any Nigerian can live and work in any part of the country so we should learn to tolerate the Fulani herdsmen. Why can't we confine the Igbo's who travel all over Nigeria for business to the east but instead Fulanis? Are there no bad people amongst the migrating igbos? We rely on their cattle for meat and milk production but instead of encouraging their business we're banning them. Fulanis are peaceful people, the killers posing as fulanis are cattle rustlers. I hope miyetti Allah win this case in court. We say no to ranching

Nice points raised, but dont forget the problems caused by these cattles, eating up and or destroying peoples crops, which serves as their own means of livelihood after so much labour. Personally, I believe Nigerians really dont care about cattles grazing anywhere, provided their farms are not destroyed and their people are not being killed anyhow by the herdsmen.
For me, if anti grazing laws will help safeguard the lives and crops of the poor farmers all around, then may it be implemented.

whateverkay:
Fulanis are been persecuted for going about their normal businesses. How can you expect Fulani herdsmen to confine their cattles to a ranch when we know they have the right to graze their cattles in any part of the country as Nigerian citizens? The law says any Nigerian can live and work in any part of the country so we should learn to tolerate the Fulani herdsmen. Why can't we confine the Igbo's who travel all over Nigeria for business to the east but instead Fulanis? Are there no bad people amongst the migrating igbos? We rely on their cattle for meat and milk production but instead of encouraging their business we're banning them. Fulanis are peaceful people, the killers posing as fulanis are cattle rustlers. I hope miyetti Allah win this case in court. We say no to ranching

Am yoruba, do you see igbos killing in their host communities? This is no point pls. You can live anywhere in Nigeria as long you are not a nuisance wherever you are. We won't die if we don't eat meat or drink milk for Christ sake.

whateverkay:
Fulanis are been persecuted for going about their normal businesses. How can you expect Fulani herdsmen to confine their cattles to a ranch when we know they have the right to graze their cattles in any part of the country as Nigerian citizens? The law says any Nigerian can live and work in any part of the country so we should learn to tolerate the Fulani herdsmen. Why can't we confine the Igbo's who travel all over Nigeria for business to the east but instead Fulanis? Are there no bad people amongst the migrating igbos? We rely on their cattle for meat and milk production but instead of encouraging their business we're banning them. Fulanis are peaceful people, the killers posing as fulanis are cattle rustlers. I hope miyetti Allah win this case in court. We say no to ranching

Stop reasoning like a Fulani cow.SMH.

Blue3k2:
These clowns are funny. You say banning open grazing because of interstate clause but the open grazing only effects activities within paticular state. Next you can buy better breed of cattle. Your cattle are skinny because ur constantly moving them hence why they don't gain weight or produce much milk. If you want grass year round buy hay and irrigate land.

You are right. #CommercialCattleRanching is the answer. It is peaceful and is not seen as people of one ethnic group trying to take the ancestral lands of another.
Governors of Southern and North Central states and Southern Kaduna should set up state-government-owned ranches for cattle rearers.

Tolluu1:
Nice points raised, but dont forget the problems caused by these cattles, eating up and or destroying peoples crops, which serves as their own means of livelihood after so much labour. Personally, I believe Nigerians really dont care about cattles grazing anywhere, provided their farms are not destroyed and their people are not being killed anyhow by the herdsmen.
For me, if anti grazing laws will help safeguard the lives and crops of the poor farmers all around, then may it be implemented.

You are right.The violence is too much. Ranching is the answer.

OK

Kudos to fayose for putting this Fulani marauders in their place. Expecting all other SW state to follow suit.
Fayose is not useless after all.
Ni tori were tita la se ni tile

These barbarians are fighting a lost battle already. The earlier they realize the inevitability of ranching, the better for them.