Settle Herders With Grazing Reserves, Miyetti Allah Tells Govs
One of the umbrella bodies for herders in Nigeria, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), has asked governors to “settle pastoralists” with grazing reserves designated for herders in the 1960s.
MACBAN President, Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, who featured live on a Television programme on Wednesday, believed that the “preservation” and the “protection” of grazing reserves, especially those in the 19 northern states would address the intractable and internecine challenge of farmer-herder crisis.
Othman-Ngelzarma, who spoke hours after President Bola Tinubu announced the creation of a new ministry for livestock development, explained that the livestock sector could turn around the economy of Nigeria if well-tapped.
He said the end value chain benefits of the cows raised in the northern region are enjoyed by the southern part of the country.
The MACBAN boss said herders are not interested in land grabbing but settlements.
“Talking about land grabbing, even in the northern part of the country where the pastoralists belong, they don’t have lands. They don’t care about land; they stay in the forests (and) when development reaches them, they move further into the forests,” he said.
Asked whether the creation of the new ministry would stop herders from open grazing, Othman-Ngelzarma said, “If the right people are put to manage the activities of that ministry. If good representatives, professionals are put there.”
“We are never against settlement; we are for settlement but what model of settlement? We just have to evolve a model of settlement to stop the roaming because it is not going to be sustained. The population is growing and it will continue to grow against a land that doesn’t increase. So, this calls for an effective planning of the land.”
