What is your recommendation for way forward of clashes between Herdsmen and Farmers. Here is mine.



Recommend Sustainable Solutions to Farmers/Herdsmen Clashes.
By OMA | 10-12-2019 | Politics |

To avert regular conflicts in search for resources
BEautiful cows.jpg
Still on these Herdsmen and Farmers crisis.

I must commend that there has been a major decline in most recent times.

I must commend efforts of mediation and peace from all stakeholders.



I must commend the cease fire and cease of hostilities from waring parties.

I must commend the Federal Government for Creating a Radio Station to reach out to Fishers in Riverine areas and Farmers in rural areas and Herdsmen attending to their cattles.

The thing about the part of the Federal Government is that, Creating a Radio Station is just going to be for mere sensitisation and awareness.

The thing about Radio is just about Passing information and a mere one way mode of Communication.

I applaud the move of the Radio Station, but I think the Federal Government should go a step beyond just mere Information communication from Radio Stations, to actual Education and Integration.



Education is libration. Education sets the soul free.

If the very young generations of these Fulani Kids following their parents cattles are Educated to University level.

If the Federal Government can make them go through complete formal education and get to University level,

In the University i graduated from, they have a specific College dedicated to Animal and Animal health and Animal Husbandry, College of Animal management and sciences COLANIM.

These universities of Agriculture are strategically located in about 4 regions of these country..

If more of the younger generation of these Herdsmen are sent for compulsory educations for Animal Husbandry, if the benefits can be shown to them.



If they see their cows loses more energies from roaming looking for pasture.

If they can see they can access forage feed for their cattle at next to no cost.

If they can see that by practicing Husbandry and keeping their cattles from roaming, the cattles would live longer and produce more amount of milk per litre per day.

If they can be educated that the cattles would be richer in their Beef value,

If they can see that Animals are just one part of agriculture and Animals dont have to feed on farmers economic crops.

If Animals dont destroy farm produce of a farmer, then there would be no clash in the first instance..



In Auyo Local Government area of Jigawa State, I witnessed First hand where Farmers and Cattle dwellers live in perfect peace.

There is a 52km long dam that produces water for irrigation. Shehu Shagari Built it.

This dam makes for availability of water all year round.

Cattles have enough water here amd do not eat farm produce of farmers. Cattles are used for farm mechanisation with a cover over their mouth while they work on Rice and Maize plantation without eating a single Maize or a grain of rice.

At end of each farming season, wastes and left overs from farm are preserved and save for Cow feeds. So it is a working synergy between farmers and Herdsmen in Auyo.

The case study is therr for anybody that cares to go check it out.

Community leaders and police intervens any time a cow eats a single crop of a farmer and there is constant mediation and peace In that section...

The 53km dam is not a Natural resource but a Man made intervention from Educational interventions.

Shehu Shagari Built that dam for all year round access to water. That was purposeful leadership with foresight.

Resources are getting scarce to come by, the lake chad is drying up. Global warming is on the increase.



There is going to me more serious and stiffer competition for resources.

Cows would always want more water and majority of water is only from Niger and Benue, the Confluence.

If people can be given more education as to how they can get more Green vegetation and more water.

If we must reduce over dependence on only Natures resources of Water and arerable land.

It is only through proper Education this can be achieved.

I will have the Federal Government have majorly most of these nomad children educated upto Secondary level, then enrol them to Study Animal Husbandry in desginated authorised institutions or if that is too long term in approach to solving problems at had, they can organise Crash One to Two years program for the Grown Herders with flocks of Cattles.

You can be in charge of a herd of cattle and still be Educated. Honestly I feel this is the least intervention for thr long term the government can use to permanently put an end to farmers/herdsmen clashes...

Now that the Borders are Closed, we must Educate the farmers on Best Practices, we must also Educate the Herdsman on Best practices...

If farmers and Herders have access to more Education, have more tolerance for themselves and can tolerate themselves, clashes would reduce significantly.



Animal Husbandry might seem to us as far fetched, but in Holland, Netherlands where we have the best Milks, Animals are properly kept to get highest value in terms of milk, meat and price, that is why the Hollandia peak milk is more expensive..

The National Grazing reserves is a right step, Ruga program was greeted with so much distrust and mutual suspicion.

Nigerians dont Trust themselves so they can not allow Ruga in every State in the Federation but truth is, Every State in the Federation needs milk and Meat.

There is no state in Nigeria where they do not eat cow meat, so when you criticise Fulani people, I just laugh at the system...

Fulani's are a National Treasure and a Goldmine of they are Properly managed.

Fulani's alone produce the whole cow meat every state eats in Nigeria..

Igbo's eat cow meat. Yoruba's eat cow meat. Hausa's eat cow meat.

Every tribe and every Religion and every ethnicity in Nigeria eats cow meat.

I have never heard of a community where cow meat is forbidden...

We all need ourselves and must manage ourselves and must look for geniune solutions to put this country on the Best Standard acceptable modern day Practices..

It is either we all come together to make this country work or we sink collectively as a Nation. No short cuts..



https://www.omascope.com/politics/recommend-sustainable-solutions-to-farmersherdsmen-clashes