The Hon Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has said that the Federal Government is grieved and seriously concerned on the fatal dimension that the issue of the Herders-Crop farmers crisis is taking and assured that the Federal Government will leave no stone unturned to solve the problem.
The Minister made the remarks on Wednesday while receivingthe formal report of the National Livestock conference held on the 25th September, 2017 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja in which all key stakeholders in the Livestock sector participated. According to the Minister, Government’s proposal to set up Cattle Colonies and encouragement of ranches remain the best option to stop the killings and the toxic hatred that thecurrent altercation is generating; saying the wanton loss of lives is not acceptable, hence the need to take necessary steps that will permanently stop the killings, protect the farmers, as well as secure modern way of livelihood for the herdsmen. He also revealed that a Sensitization Programme to educate the herders, farmers and the communities including the politicians is underway.
“We have listened to what people have said and we recognizepeople’s rights to freedom of expression: but let me reiterate once again that the government is not seizing land of any Nigerian to give to Fulani herdsmen for them to colonize. The Programme is also not an appeasement of Fulanis at the detriment of crop farmers either”. He also refuted the allegation of sell out; warning that “if today, we as Government and citizens don’t find a practical solution to the problem as quickly as possible, it will get worse tomorrow”.
“We didn’t envisage how much high voltage emotion and politicking this issue has generated. It is one of our characteristics as a country that we live with. We needed to educate the herdsmen, educate every one of us of the need to move away from what we were doing before that is bringing conflict for many reasons; avoiding crisis and making this industry more productive. I know that the average herdsman is more concerned about the number of his herds than perhaps the milk coming out, about the speed the cattle can grow and the value of the meat, which is why he needs education. More than this, we also have the leaders,the politicians; we all need education on this”The Minister who praised the Committee for a good job has meanwhile announced that members of the Committee will play a major role in implementing the decision of the government after a quick study of the report. Other members of the Committee are Mr John Taiwo of the Departmentt of Animal Husbandry Services, Alhaji Auwal Maidabino of Planning and Policy Coordination, Mr Hammed Sanni of Food and Agricultural Organisation FAO, a representative of Kogi State Government and Engr. Kola Owolabi of the Federal Department of Agriculture of the Ministry.
Presenting the report to the Hon Minister, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr Gideon Mshebwalla said the Committee identified lack of access to land, low productivity, old practice of open grazing, lack of access to finance, inadequate water provision, inefficient landholding, poor infrastructure and support facilities as well as low level of extension facilities as being the major factors militating against optimal development of the sector.The Committee recommended resuscitation of the grazing reserves, encouragement of private people to go into setting up ranches in addition to the Federal Government setting up of cattle colonies.The Committee also wanted Government to intervene in the provision of infrastructures and support services like roads, electricity, water, improved pasture and provision of extension services as well as empowering the Agricultural Research Institutes to invest on research that will be accessible to the end users.
Tolu Makinde
Director, Information.

http://naijagro..com/2018/02/press-release-finding-solution-to.html

Old men with archaic reasoning.

I thought dis man was from Benue State.

Old man with dead brain. Cattle colonization, so when are we going to get independence from cattle colony. For your information all other farmers struggle to buy land, construct and source money to finance their farm. So are you ready tocreae colony for us pig, rabbit, sheep, goat farmers. Rather give an example of a Nation that practice cattle colony

Audu Ogbe should allow the practise of Cattle colony in his village and leave us who do not want it.

Audu is right.
But the cattle must be ranched & colonized in fulani enclaves in northern nigeria. Borno, Sokoto, zamfara, katsina & kano are very good places to build colonies for una nama.
They are not wanted elsewhere.

onward4life:
I thought dis man was from Benue State.

he is

naijagro:

he is

OK am not biased but he shouldn't use because of his 3m a month job and speak against his brothers becos of politics

Too painful.

The fight in makurdi started like a mere shoving before my very eyes!

And escalated in a religious beef in 1hour.

I saw it all

4hawk the media

I thought the presidential committee headed by osibanjo have dumped the idea of cattle colonies and asked each state to tackle the problem as they deem fit.

Observing.

Audu Ogbeh is an old fool. He is a political jobber who has nothing to offer.

abouzaid:
I thought the presidential committee headed by osibanjo have dumped the idea of cattle colonies and asked each state to tackle the problem as they deem fit.

yes they av, atleast 4rm wat i read. but it seems like he's still insisting dat d cattle colony is d best solution