FARMERS- HERDERS CONFLICT: NEITHER ETHNIC NOR RELIGIOUS, BUT OF LAND RESOURCES



In my observation , deployment of security men to flash-points could only provide a "temporary peace". In my modest view, the only way to address the issue of farmers -herders clashes is to know the "root cause" of the conflict and provide a "lasting solution" that will be mutually beneficial to both parties.

In my understanding, farmers-herders conflict is neither ethnic nor religious. The conflict is purely on economic resources, in this case, land resources with which farmers "cultivate" on it and herders "graze" on .I quite agree with Timawus Mathias when he said: "It is a resource conflict, certainly neither religious nor ethnic. Even if both farmer and herder were Fulani, same would have occurred. The land resources is the issue, not tribe, not religion..."- (Daily Trust : December 6,2017).

Many analysts are of the view that, the rising farmers -herders conflicts in Nigeria is a result of population "expansion" which leads to the increasing demand for land resources by both farmers and herders. Nigeria at Independence has only about 63million people, but as at today the population is about 180million. The land resources is fixed while the population keeps growing. We could not also rule out criminal and political dimensions.

Some selfish politicians, ethnic entrepreneurs, religious entrepreneurs and some sections of the media have not helped matters by hypocritically linking the issue with ethnicity and religion. We must accept the fact that the conflict is neither religious nor ethnic. We must agree that there is nothing religious about killing innocent people . We must accept the fact that both farmers and herders are "victims" of this barbaric act. We must understand that "violence" does not do anybody any good. We must get to the "root cause" of the conflict, if we must nip it in the bud.

At "birth" nobody decided to be born as either Hausa or Yoruba or Igbo or Tiv etc. Crime has neither "tribe" nor "religion". Although, crime is not acceptable by all religions and tribes, criminals are found in every tribe as well as religion. Criminals must be treated as criminals whether Fulanis or Hausas or Yorubas or Igbos or Tivs or Bachamas or Jukums.We have had enough of farmers -herders clashes in Birnin- Gwari, Zamfara and Kastina states which are all Muslims and typical Hausa-Fulanis states.

In my opinion, it is disheartening as well as hypocritical to link clashes between farmers and herders in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Taraba, Plateau, and Adamawa as ethnic or religious while that of clashes in Niger, Birnin Gwari,Zamfara, and Kastina as mere arm banditry or cattle rustling.

In my view, it is "very wrong" to believe that, the only way to solve the problem of farmers -herders clashes is through banning of open grazing and the introduction of "ranches". It is equally "very wrong" for someone to believe that, the present "Pastoralists practice " of moving around with their cattle must continue without adjustment. Due to demographic expansion it appears to me that wandering around in towns, villages or bushes with cattle is no longer sustainable.As unsustainable as it is, it could not just be stopped overnight.

Opinion is mostly divided between those in support of Grazing Reserves and Ranches.Grazing reserves are areas of land demarcated, set aside and reserved for exclusive use by pastoralists which is essentially provided by the government. A ranch, on the other hand, is an area of land with various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, which is the practice of raising livestock such as cattle or sheep etc., with which the herders would have to "acquire" the land and be feeding the cattle with their money.This will definitely triple the cost of meat.

In the short-term, let's combine the two approaches. May God bless Nigeria.