3rd February, 2021
PRESS RELEASE:
HERDERS/FARMERS CRISIS: FG MUST BAIL
OUT HERDERS - MURIC
The Federal
Government (FG) has been tasked to do more than it is doing presently to address
the burning issue of insecurity in the country. The advice came from the
Nigerian Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). The
group wants FG to give the cattle rearing industry enough funds to buy land for
the establishment of ranches. FG can ban open grazing after the bailout fund
has been released.
The suggestion was
contained in a press statement circulated among the media on Wednesday, 3rd
February, 2021 by the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The statement reads:
“The crisis between
herders and farmers has generated severe tension over the years and it has
resulted in open clashes with loss of lives and properties in recent times. In
our own view, the Federal Government still has some options open to it after
the state governments in the South rejected the ideas of ranches and rugas.
“In our own view, the state governments who rejected the idea of
donating land for ranches and ruga settelements did so because nobody was
prepared to pay for such land and FG showed no intention to do so. It will be a
horse of another colour if herders and cow owners buy land across the country
for grazing. It should be a private project and a business venture just like
all other businesses.
“Meanwhile herders and cow owners may not be willing or they may
lack the capacity to buy land for cattle grazing. As for the will, Northern
traditional leaders have a role to play in persuading herders and cow owners to
change their mindset and become willing to operate ranches. Concerning
financial capacity, this is where FG should come in. FG must be prepared to
stoop in order to conquer. A huge bailout must be granted herders and cow owners
to enable them buy land and set up ranches.
“Such a bailout is not new and the herders/farmers connundrum
necessitates it. Afterall banks, airlines, private vehicle producing companies,
petroleum importers and even farmers have received subsidies, bailouts and
waivers in the past. It is now the turn of herders and cow owners and the time
to do it is now.
“Farmers who toil
day and night to produce food and cash crops cannot be blamed for complaining
about herders who bring cows overnight to destroy their crops. Worse still. The
crimes being committed by some of the herders cannot be tolerated by any community
in the country and that is why all communities in the country are at war with
herders, including those in Kaduna, Gombe, Niger, etc.
“But this is because
Nigeria still relies on analogue grazing in a digital world. It is high time we
realized that open grazing and driving cattle on the roads is anachronistic and
counter-productive. Farmers need a peaceful environment and a guaranty of
security for both their crops and their persons in order to be productive.
“After studying the problem over time, MURIC has come to the
conclusion that the conflict between herders and farmers is neither religious
nor ethnic. This is because the same herdsmen causing mayhem in Katsina, Sokoto,
Niger and Zamfara States are the ones creating panic in Enugu, Oyo, Ogun and
Ebonyi. Farms are in disarray all over the country due to the lawlessness of
herdsmen.
“For example, herders
who destroy farms in Zamfara are Northerners. It is also generally assumed that
they are Muslims. Zamfara hunters and vigilante men who protect the farms and chase
the herders are also Northerners and Muslims as well. Bandits in Sokoto are
also Northerners while the local guards organized to keep the bandits at bay
are also Northerners. Therefore there is no ethnic or religious factor in this
ongoing herders and farmers crisis. It is neither Fulanisation nor
Islamisation. It is an economic cum security problem, pure and simple.
“This has enabled MURIC to come to the conclusion that no
religious or ethnic sentiment should be built around the herdsmen/farmers clash
whether in Oyo, Ekiti or Ondo State. The reason Lagos has been spared to a
large extent is the fact that it is not an agricultural state. The Lagos
situation may also have been responsible for our earlier assumption that
ethnicity and religious sentiments were at play in the herders/farmers quagmire.
This perspective has changed after feedbacks came from our branches in both the
North and Southern states.
“Therefore, our
message to Miyetti Allah is this: ‘The governments and people of the South West,
South South and South East are not just trying to start any quarrel with you or
with your cows. No farmer can be happy with those who lead cows to destroy his
crops.
“Miyetti Allah must take responsibility. Show good leadership by
re-organizing your members into cooperatives and ask FG for bailouts to buy
huge portions of land where they can set up ranches and graze freely. Herders
and cow owners can come together to purchase acres of land wherever they
desire. You cannot expect farmers (whether in Katsina, Sokoto, Igangan or Ondo)
to hold the horns while your herders milk the cows. It breaches the law of
natural justice.’
“The problem on
ground can be resolved if FG shows willingness to give bailout funds to herders
and cow owners. State governments should also spend part of their security vote
on the project. Any issue that constitutes security threat qualifies for a
share of the security vote. Unfortunately our governors heap the whole blame on
the presidency, as if they have no business solving security problems in their
states.
“State governors can
summon representatives of Miyetti Allah in their states and discuss the
possibility of bailout funds or loans from the state to purchase huge chunks of
land. Such land can be used for ranching. The readiness of each state to
respond to this call will be a reflection of the level of the governor’s patriotism
and his desire for peace within his territory. Even local governments can
participate in the project. Philanthropists and business tycoons are not left
out of the option as it offers a good prospect of huge profits.
“Once this is done, farmers
in food basket areas of the North will settle peacefully in their farms and the
hostility between indigenes and Northern communities in the South will become a
thing of the past. There will be bumper harvests and the prices of foodstuff
will come down. Security networks like Amotekun which have been set up in the
South to complement the police will be able to concentrate on real crimes like
kidnapping and armed robbery.
“Finally, we urge FG
to embrace this idea of a bailout for herders and cow owners to buy land for
ranches. This will drastically reduce the incidence of clashes between herders
and farmers. It will also reduce crime by exposing the real criminals among the
herders because it will be easy for security agents to distinguish between
genuine herders, rapists and kidnappers. Herders will tender their herds inside
the established ranches while those who roam about will be picked up. It will
also be easy for FG to ban open grazing once ranches have been set up. It is
hoped that state governors will use part of their security vote to key into the
idea.”
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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