FG to review national livestock plan over ‘heightened misunderstanding’ between farmers, herders

By Our Correspondent

The federal government says it will review the national livestock plan in some states to address issues that have come up in recent times. 

According to NAN, the development is contained in a memo titled, ‘Heightened Misunderstanding between Farmers and Herders in Abia, Delta and Kwara States’, signed by David Atta, a director in the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF). 

In the memo, which was addressed to the ministers of agriculture and information, the federal government said the recurring invasion of farmlands by migrant herders with accompanying hostilities across affected agrarian settlements poses threat to food security.

“The aforementioned development underscores the need to revisit and remodel the ranching programme, and to partly facilitate the campaign against inflammatory and divisive statements that are capable of escalating the subsisting crisis between farmers and herders,” the memo reads in part. 

According to the memo, there is a looming confrontation between itinerant herders and farmers in the Opiene community, Arochukwu LGA of Abia over alleged invasion by the herders on farmlands.

“Similarly, uneasy calm has pervaded Ogwashi-Uku and Ubulu-Unor communities in Aniocha Local Government Area of Delta State, due to increasing presence of strange pastoralists in the area. The anxiety followed the refusal of some resident to serve as guarantors to the intruding herders, who have already encroached on some farms at Chibata and Aboh-Ogwashi villages in same LGA,” the document reads.

“Relatedly, in Kwara, some nomads operating around Marafa axis of Ilorin-East Local Government Area were reportedly ready to confront members of their host community. The planned confrontation was as a result of the recent attack on two of their kinsmen in the area.

“Meanwhile, the victims, Sadik Isah and Abubakar Bindo were said to be receiving treatment at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.”

As of June 2021, the federal government had said 22 states and the federal capital territory (FCT) had registered under the national livestock transformation programme (NLTP).