The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Cattle

  • Cattle take over major roads

    Residents bemoan cattle grazing menace, reports GBENGA OMOKHUNU

    Mr. John Ayooba who lives in Kuje, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), told Abuja Review that the city’s challenges brought on by its population growth have been worsened by grazing activities, with cattle obstructing vehicular and pedestrian movement.

    He said: “It is becoming terrible, almost every day when I pass from Kuje to town, I come across cows obstructing the major highway and when you call the attention of the owners to control them to avoid accident or damage to property, they don’t listen. Abuja is becoming something else and government should do something urgently before the situation gets out of hand.”

    A government source said that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) took measures in the past to curb cattle grazing, but its efforts amounted to little more than verbal warnings to herdsmen to refrain from improper grazing activities along major highways.

    Another resident Tolu Abinbola said that the illegal grazing of cattle by herdsmen is just one of several problems facing Abuja, including the prevalence of street hawkers, unemployed youths, and “street urchins” which have “taken over every nook and cranny of the city.

    “I have observed how cattle and other livestock have now taken over the city centre of Abuja and I have really fallen short of words. It is not only degrading, but the distortion of the Abuja master plan also gives me a cause for concern.

    “I am neither a soothsayer nor a doomsday prophet, but public reaction to this unfortunate prowling of animals may not be good for the image of the FCT Minister, Alhaji Mohammad Bello, who appears to be doing nothing about this apparent contravention of the Abuja environmental laws.

    “The activities of Fulani herdsmen within Abuja city centre are just inappropriate. For cows to be allowed to roam the city and compete for space with human beings is retrogressive and causes serious health and social crises in the hinterland where they eat up crops, pollute streams, rivers and other sources of water supply in the satellite towns and villages and cause deaths on the highways.”

    Ibrahim, a civil servant who lives in Kubwa, said, “From Kuje to Abaji and from Maitama to the presidential villa and highbrow Asokoro, Fulani herdsmen and their cattle are constantly fighting for space with motorists and pedestrians. The National Assembly, right to the office of the National Security Adviser are not spared by the herdsmen and their cattle. The herdsmen graze their cattle at the traffic junctions where police halt vehicles for upwards of 30 miniutes or completely block the road for cattle to cross to the other side of the road.

    “While we cannot run away from these cows that are a veritable source of protein that nurtures our health and bodies, they should be raised in a civilised manner. Distraught residents are sick and tired of the unprecedented ubiquity of herdsmen walking their cattle on the roads. The man-hour lost in hold-ups cannot be economically verified, but the psycho-social trauma of accidents, caused like the one on the Abuja-Lokoja expressway should move any government to action.

    “I suggest as a matter of urgent national importance that the FCT minister should quickly do something before things get worse. He must hasten to create and demarcate grazing reserves and cattle ranches to control the movement of the herdsmen seeking pasture for their livestock in the FCT and not necessarily in the city centre. We also advise that it has become expedient to constitute a committee consisting of all tribes that would campaign on the importance of unity and peaceful coexistence, because the silence of the people is like that of peace that exists in the graveyard. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder if we allow cattle to disturb traffic, deface the streets and enter people’s premises. The time to act is now.”

    It would be recalled that few weeks ago the Federal Government on its part said it has concluded plans to build ranches for herdsmen as part of measures to address the perennial herdsmen/farmers clashes which had claimed hundreds of lives in the country.

    The government also said it would train park rangers, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies to protect farms and other agro-business from looting by hoodlums.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh said this at the inauguration of an Inter-ministerial Committee on Security in Ministries of Agric and Interior.

    The minister explained that the nation is facing challenging times, noting that the government was concerned about protection for investments.

    He stated that the government was looking at ways to curb herdsmen and crop farmers clashes across the country by evolving solutions that would assure indigenous and foreign investors of the security of their investments.

    Ogbeh noted that President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to developing and expanding the economy, and the protection of investment.

    He said, “The current problem we are facing is the security of investment. We are inviting people, Nigerians and foreigners alike to invest in this country, especially in the agriculture industry. The crime rate is soaring and sometimes, criminality is carried out because there is no credible intelligence.

    “We are planning now to build ranches and bring our cattle rearers in manageable conditions where herdsmen and farmers would no longer have clashes. We are going to encourage agro investment. We assure indigenous investors, foreign investors that Nigeria is serious about investment and about protecting investors.

    “Nigeria can’t afford the looting of private investment by hoodlums who think that is their share of the national treasury.”

    The minister stated that the committee was expected to work out the modalities for the training and deployment of the security personnel that would be involved in investment and infrastructure protection across the country.

    He however cautioned that when deployed, the security operatives should not be converted to duties other than what they were trained for.

    “The security officers are not to be converted to private body guards or errand boys to be sent to the market or shopping malls,” Ogbeh warned.

     

     

     

     

  • Cattle take over major roads

    Residents bemoan cattle grazing menace, reports GBENGA OMOKHUNU

    Mr. John Ayooba who lives in Kuje, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), told Abuja Review that the city’s challenges brought on by its population growth have been worsened by grazing activities, with cattle obstructing vehicular and pedestrian movement.

    He said, “It is becoming terrible, almost every day when I pass from Kuje to town I come across cows obstructing the major highway and when you call the attention of the owners to control them to avoid accident or damage to property they don’t listen. Abuja is becoming something else and government should do something urgently before the situation gets out of hand.”

    A government source said that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) took measures in the past to curb cattle grazing but its efforts amounted to little more than verbal warnings to herdsmen to refrain from improper grazing activities along major highways.

    Another resident Tolu Abinbola said that the illegal grazing of cattle by herdsmen is just one of several problems facing Abuja, including the prevalence of street hawkers, unemployed youths, and “street urchins” which have “taken over every nook and cranny of the city.

    “I have observed how cattle and other livestock have now taken over the city centre of Abuja and I have really fallen short of words. It is not only degrading, but the distortion of the Abuja master plan also gives me a cause for concern.

    “I am neither a soothsayer nor a doomsday prophet, but public reaction to this unfortunate prowling of animals may not be good for the image of the FCT minister, Alhaji Mohammad Bello, who appears to be doing nothing about this apparent contravention of the Abuja environmental laws.

    “The activities of Fulani herdsmen within Abuja city centre are just inappropriate. For cows to be allowed to roam the city and compete for space with human beings is retrogressive and causes serious health and social crises in the hinterland where they eat up crops, pollute streams, rivers and other sources of water supply in the satellite towns and villages and cause deaths on the highways.”

    Ibrahim, a civil servant who lives in Kubwa, said, “From Kuje to Abaji and from Maitama to the presidential villa and highbrow Asokoro, Fulani herdsmen and their cattle are constantly fighting for space with motorists and pedestrians. The National Assembly, right to the office of the National Security Adviser are not spared by the herdsmen and their cattle. The herdsmen graze their cattle at the traffic junctions where police halt vehicles for upwards of 30 miniutes or completely block the road for cattle to cross to the other side of the road.

    “While we cannot run away from these cows that are a veritable source of protein that nurtures our health and bodies, they should be raised in a civilised manner. Distraught residents are sick and tired of the unprecedented ubiquity of herdsmen walking their cattle on the roads. The man-hour lost in hold-ups cannot be economically verified, but the psycho-social trauma of accidents, caused like the one on the Abuja-Lokoja expressway should move any government to action.

    “I suggest as a matter of urgent national importance that the FCT minister should quickly do something before things get worse. He must hasten to create and demarcate grazing reserves and cattle ranches to control the movement of the herdsmen seeking pasture for their livestock in the FCT and not necessarily in the city centre. We also advise that it has become expedient to constitute a committee consisting of all tribes that would campaign on the importance of unity and peaceful coexistence, because the silence of the people is like that of peace that exists in the graveyard. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder if we allow cattle to disturb traffic, deface the streets and enter people’s premises. The time to act is now.”

    It would be recalled that few weeks ago the Federal Government on its part said it has concluded plans to build ranches for herdsmen as part of measures to address the perennial herdsmen/farmers clashes which had claimed hundreds of lives in the country.

    The government also said it would train park rangers, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies to protect farms and other agro-business from looting by hoodlums.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh said this at the inauguration of an Inter-ministerial Committee on Security in Ministries of Agric and Interior.

    The minister explained that the nation is facing challenging times, noting that the government was concerned about protection for investments.

    He stated that the government was looking at ways to curb herdsmen and crop farmers clashes across the country by evolving solutions that would assure indigenous and foreign investors of the security of their investments.

    Ogbeh noted that President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to developing and expanding the economy, and the protection of investment.

    He said, “The current problem we are facing is the security of investment. We are inviting people, Nigerians and foreigners alike to invest in this country, especially in the agriculture industry. The crime rate is soaring and sometimes, criminality is carried out because there is no credible intelligence.

    “We are planning now to build ranches and bring our cattle rearers in manageable conditions where herdsmen and farmers would no longer have clashes. We are going to encourage agro investment. We assure indigenous investors, foreign investors that Nigeria is serious about investment and about protecting investors.

    “Nigeria can’t afford the looting of private investment by hoodlums who think that is their share of the national treasury.”

    The minister stated that the committee was expected to work out the modalities for the training and deployment of the security personnel that would be involved in investment and infrastructure protection across the country.

    He however cautioned that when deployed, the security operatives should not be converted to duties other than what they were trained for.

    “The security officers are not to be converted to private body guards or errand boys to be sent to the market or shopping malls,” Ogbeh warned.

  • Cattle take over major roads

    Cattle take over major roads

    Residents bemoan cattle grazing menace, reports GBENGA OMOKHUNU 

    Mr. John Ayooba who lives in Kuje, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), told Abuja Review that the city’s challenges brought on by its population growth have been worsened by grazing activities, with cattle obstructing vehicular and pedestrian movement.

    He said, “It is becoming terrible, almost every day when I pass from Kuje to town I come across cows obstructing the major highway and when you call the attention of the owners to control them to avoid accident or damage to property they don’t listen. Abuja is becoming something else and government should do something urgently before the situation gets out of hand.”

    A government source said that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) took measures in the past to curb cattle grazing but its efforts amounted to little more than verbal warnings to herdsmen to refrain from improper grazing activities along major highways.

    Another resident Tolu Abinbola said that the illegal grazing of cattle by herdsmen is just one of several problems facing Abuja, including the prevalence of street hawkers, unemployed youths, and “street urchins” which have “taken over every nook and cranny of the city.

    “I have observed how cattle and other livestock have now taken over the city centre of Abuja and I have really fallen short of words. It is not only degrading, but the distortion of the Abuja master plan also gives me a cause for concern.

    “I am neither a soothsayer nor a doomsday prophet, but public reaction to this unfortunate prowling of animals may not be good for the image of the FCT minister, Alhaji Mohammad Bello, who appears to be doing nothing about this apparent contravention of the Abuja environmental laws.

    “The activities of Fulani herdsmen within Abuja city centre are just inappropriate. For cows to be allowed to roam the city and compete for space with human beings is retrogressive and causes serious health and social crises in the hinterland where they eat up crops, pollute streams, rivers and other sources of water supply in the satellite towns and villages and cause deaths on the highways.”

    Ibrahim, a civil servant who lives in Kubwa, said, “From Kuje to Abaji and from Maitama to the presidential villa and highbrow Asokoro, Fulani herdsmen and their cattle are constantly fighting for space with motorists and pedestrians. The National Assembly, right to the office of the National Security Adviser are not spared by the herdsmen and their cattle. The herdsmen graze their cattle at the traffic junctions where police halt vehicles for upwards of 30 miniutes or completely block the road for cattle to cross to the other side of the road.

    “While we cannot run away from these cows that are a veritable source of protein that nurtures our health and bodies, they should be raised in a civilised manner. Distraught residents are sick and tired of the unprecedented ubiquity of herdsmen walking their cattle on the roads. The man-hour lost in hold-ups cannot be economically verified, but the psycho-social trauma of accidents, caused like the one on the Abuja-Lokoja expressway should move any government to action.

    “I suggest as a matter of urgent national importance that the FCT minister should quickly do something before things get worse. He must hasten to create and demarcate grazing reserves and cattle ranches to control the movement of the herdsmen seeking pasture for their livestock in the FCT and not necessarily in the city centre. We also advise that it has become expedient to constitute a committee consisting of all tribes that would campaign on the importance of unity and peaceful coexistence, because the silence of the people is like that of peace that exists in the graveyard. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder if we allow cattle to disturb traffic, deface the streets and enter people’s premises. The time to act is now.”

    It would be recalled that few weeks ago the Federal Government on its part said it has concluded plans to build ranches for herdsmen as part of measures to address the perennial herdsmen/farmers clashes which had claimed hundreds of lives in the country.

    The government also said it would train park rangers, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies to protect farms and other agro-business from looting by hoodlums.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh said this at the inauguration of an Inter-ministerial Committee on Security in Ministries of Agric and Interior.

    The minister explained that the nation is facing challenging times, noting that the government was concerned about protection for investments.

    He stated that the government was looking at ways to curb herdsmen and crop farmers clashes across the country by evolving solutions that would assure indigenous and foreign investors of the security of their investments.

    Ogbeh noted that President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to developing and expanding the economy, and the protection of investment.

    He said, “The current problem we are facing is the security of investment. We are inviting people, Nigerians and foreigners alike to invest in this country, especially in the agriculture industry. The crime rate is soaring and sometimes, criminality is carried out because there is no credible intelligence.

    “We are planning now to build ranches and bring our cattle rearers in manageable conditions where herdsmen and farmers would no longer have clashes. We are going to encourage agro investment. We assure indigenous investors, foreign investors that Nigeria is serious about investment and about protecting investors.

    “Nigeria can’t afford the looting of private investment by hoodlums who think that is their share of the national treasury.”

    The minister stated that the committee was expected to work out the modalities for the training and deployment of the security personnel that would be involved in investment and infrastructure protection across the country.

    He however cautioned that when deployed, the security operatives should not be converted to duties other than what they were trained for.

    “The security officers are not to be converted to private body guards or errand boys to be sent to the market or shopping malls,” Ogbeh warned.

  • Ending cattle rustling

    They storm communities and villages armed with sophisticated weapons and usually on motorcycles. Some of the criminals use dane-guns and other locally-made weapons to kill, maim and rape their victims,  and steal cattle and other livestock.

    This was the hallmark of cattle rustlers in Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, Nassarawa, Benue, Plateau and other states.

    Initially, cattle rustling, which was carried out on a minor scale, was traced to the beginning of Boko Haram attacks and believed to be carried out to cater for the insurgents’ food needs.

    But it has gone haywire in the past few years as some people have claimed to have seen helicopters dropping attackers and their sophisticated weapons in the bushes mostly at nightfall.

    Apart from responses by the local security agencies, various vigilance groups also sprang up to check the trend in the communities. But they are recording less success.

    With obstacles placed in their way by the local authorities, the cattle rustlers were said to have scaled up their strategies and plans to include kidnapping.

    Kidnapping for ransom that was well known with the southern part of the country, became the order of the day in the North.

    It came to a head when an army colonel, who was kidnapped from Kaduna State, was found murdered.

    Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari, while linking cattle rustling to kidnapping in the North had said: “The culprits may have decided to go into kidnapping since they have been blocked from stealing cattle.

    “Instead of stealing cattle, the rustlers either kidnap a member of the herding family and demand ransom or send a letter asking for protection money, which is always huge,” he said.

    Most often, many victims of the attacks have pointed the finger of accusation at nomadic Fulani tribesmen.

    But the pan-Fulani socio-cultural group, the Meyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, have severally denied the involvement of its members in the killings and attacks.

    According to the group, the assailants only hide under Fulani garb to carry out the attacks.

    When cattle rustling and kidnapping became unbearable in the areas despite the efforts of the authorities, northern governors had to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to assist in bringing the attacks to an end.

    On behalf of the North, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai during the 21st Nigeria Economic Summit (NESG) in Abuja had said that the situation has become worrisome and one of the biggest threat to security in the North.

    Their appeal was said to have led to the creation of Operation Sharan Daji (Operation Sweeping of the Bush), a military task force mandated to end the incidents of ethnic killings, cattle rustlings and farmers-herdsmen conflicts.

    The Operation was claimed to have resulted in arrests of cattle rustlers, armed bandits, and recovery of stolen cattles and other livestocks, arms and ammunitions.

    While the incidences of cattle rusting were still being recorded in some communities with the Operation in force, President Buhari in Zamfara State last Wednesday, after witnessing a live Field Training Exercise to clear remnants of cattle rustlers and armed bandits in the area, believed that the military has what it takes to end the menace.

    He said: “I sympathise with the people of this area for the enormous losses they suffered as a result of the incessant activities of the insurgents and cattle rustlers whose actions have made farming, livestock management and other economic activities more difficult even in the face of the general economic challenges.

    “I am quite optimistic that the operations of the last few days will surely lead to the restoration of economic activities of surrounding communities bedevilled for some time now by the menace of cattle rustling and banditry. I therefore commend the Chief of Army Staff for this foresight and initiative and for mobilizing adequate resources to ensure precision in the conduct of the exercise. I also applaud the collaboration with sister services and other security agencies in order to degrade and decimate the miscreants.

    “I urge you to intensify and perfect current strategies, approaches, techniques and tactics towards curtailing all forms of lawlessness across the country.  It is quite gratifying to inspect the equipment displayed which showcased the robust capability of the Nigerian Army to ward off internal and external aggression against the nation. I am pleased at the dexterity, prowess and level of professionalism displayed by various components including the combat airborne jump by personnel of the Nigerian Army supported by the Nigerian Air Force.

    “I am quite confident that the Nigerian Armed Forces have been amply repositioned more than ever before to resolutely confront contemporary and emerging security challenges in the country.

    “The involvement of private partners in the defence sector especially in terms of provision of specialist equipment under the Public Private Partnership is a welcome development.” He stated

    Nigerians, will no doubt, heave sigh of relief when cattle rustling among other crimes are brought to an end in the country.

     

    No free money

    Nigerians and many communities and villages in the country have been told that it will no longer be business as usual.

    The communities that have abandoned their businesses and ways of life for money from oil over the years have been told to retrace their steps.

    The North, which was known for its cultivation of many agricultural produce and contributed greatly to the mainstay of the Nigerian economy in the 1960s, was neglected for oil exploration in the south.

    But the present realities and dwindling income from oil, which the Nigerian economy was largely dependent on for several years, have now made many Nigerians to believe that oil was rather a curse than blessing to the country.

    It went a long way to change the attitude and way of lives of Nigerians, especially in the villages and communities who decided to wait for free money from Abuja rather than till the land.

    President Muhammadu Buhari last Wednesday in Wanke under Gusau Local Government area of Zamfara state told Nigerians not to wait for such free money again.

    Buhari declared: “There is no easy money to throw around, we must go back to farming, livestock rearing so that we could develop the industries. We must put our hands on deck to ensure success of our mission in engineering Nigeria.

    “If efforts were made in the past to diversify the economy from our absolute reliance on a single commodity, we would not have found ourselves in our current situation.”

    Going back to agriculture and solid minerals he insisted will create employment, lead Nigeria out of the woods and return the country to path of growth and greatness.

     

  • Herdsmen attacks: Cattle feed factory to the rescue

    Herdsmen attacks: Cattle feed factory to the rescue

    A 50-tonne-capacity cattle feed mill in Yola, Adamawa State, may put an end to herdsmen-farmer clashes, reports TONY AKOWE

    The bloodbath has gone on for too long, and for no justifiable reason. From the North to the Middle-belt to the South, herdsmen’s clashes with crop farmers have severely decimated communities and in some cases almost wiped out some settlements. An end to that may be in sight, thanks to an ambitious feed-mill for cattle and other livestock in Abuja. After the large-scale attack in Agatu, Benue State and more recently in Enugu State, the federal government has intensified the search for a solution to the crises. Federal lawmakers have also been debating whether or not grazing reserves should be established across the country.

    The Rico Gado mill may well be the alternative to the grazing reserves, and an end to the clashes.

    Chairman of the Board of Directors of the firm Abubakar Ahmed Song also said that much, that the feed mill will cut down the clashes.

    He said this at the ground-breaking ceremony of the plant owned by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

    Apart from producing poultry feeds of high quality, it is expected to produce small and large ruminant feeds, in addition to making the agriculture resuscitation programme of the government a reality, Song said.

    The former Vice President said  the plant, the second to be established, will have the capacity to produce 50 tonnes of feed of different brands per hour as against the 20 tons produced by the first facility also in Yola.

    Atiku said the feed factory was established to “help develop my town and my state and support the people. If we don’t do it, who would?”

    According to him, with the commissioning of the Yola plant in January 2015, with his foreign partners, they planned for the second plant.

    He said: “We went ahead because we had faith in our joint venture, and because we knew that we had an opportunity to change the way our agricultural sector works, an opportunity to change the way local communities view new business, and an opportunity to change the way we Nigerians look at our economy and agriculture. Today, the Yola feed mill is exactly what we had hoped for – an economically viable enterprise, and a catalyst for change.

    “The mill produces 20 tonnes per hour of carefully balanced and locally sourced quality fodder for a wide range of livestock, including poultry, cattle, goats, and horses. Specifically, the products are egg programme and broiler programme (for poultry), beef programme, calf grower, finisher and maintenance programme (for cattle), and small ruminants feeds (for sheep and goats). Our compound feed allows hundreds of producers to rear their livestock faster, to make them fatter, and to keep their animals in good health. Our feed is reducing the expanse of land required to feed cattle, and we hope that in the future, it will help defuse the conflicts between herders and farmers that have plagued many agrarian societies before us, and that are currently costing us too many lives and livelihoods, and threatening our nation’s future”.

    He said further that “a profitable feedstock mill is no magic fix that solves all of our problems. It is a small piece in a big puzzle that will make our agricultural sector more attractive and more productive. And it is a small piece in the even bigger puzzle that will get us over our addiction to fossil fuels, and over our reliance on rent-seeking enterprises. Put simply it will help us get over our dangerous addiction to oil revenues”.

    Speaking further, he said, “When we set up Rico Gado Nutrition Nigeria, we decided to invest in advanced state-of-the-art facilities because we wanted to be in a position to meet farmers’ needs and also have the capacity and flexibility to quickly respond to the needs of the market. We agreed that, if we wanted to succeed, we would have to offer our customers the best possible product at the best possible price, in the quickest possible time. And because we want farming to once more, become profitable. We are contributing to job creation, technology transfer and progressive change in farming culture. We believe there is a future in farming”.

    FCT Mohammed Musa Bello said Rico Gado will be a source of benefit and prosperity to the communities in the FCT through employment and the provision social services.

    He said: “We have enormous livestock population with enormous for the opportunity waiting for the company in her door steps. But the reality is that on a daily bases, we are no where competitive in the world because most agro products in this company are still being imported. In this project, our partnership will be three fold: one we already have on ground massive land ear marked as grazing reserve, we are willing to partner with you to create a portion out of that grazing reserve where you will put cattle padox to encourage them to stay there and provide them with all the necessary support and facilities like the provision of extension farmers on a pilot bases so that we see if after a few years, they can make a difference. The success of that endeavour will make it easier for us to replicate it in other parts of the country”

    Director of J.Silva group who are partnering with the former Vice President on the project, Joao Barreiro Silva disclosed that over 95% of work force and 100% of raw materials in the factory in Yola are sourced locally adding that these raw materials were tested by reputable laboratories and animal nutritionists in the European Union as well as Nigeria’s NAFDAC who certified their nutritional requirements for livestock.

    He said further that: “the Abuja factory is expected to be constructed within thirty-two weeks. Its capacity will more than double that of Yola thus, producing over one hundred (120) metric tons of assorted livestock feeds, per annum, meaning 50 tons per hour. This is in realization of the huge potential of the Nigerian economy, the largest in Africa.

    “In particular, Rico Gado recognized the flourishing economy of Nigeria which offers several opportunities in Agriculture. Despite lack of an update census of the livestock sub-sector in Nigeria, it is estimated there are about 20 million heads of cattle, 70 million goats/sheep and about 250 million poultry, derived mainly from local stock.

    “These figures made Nigeria by far the largest concentration of livestock in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, short supply and poor quality of animal feeds currently in the sub- sector result in high mortality rate, leading to low productivity and low rate of returns on investment in Nigeria. We are here to help change this and bring prosperity to local farmers.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Lagos trains cattle rearers on zero grazing technology

    Lagos trains cattle rearers on zero grazing technology

    To arrest herdsmen and farmers rift, the Lagos State government on Saturday held a training on zero grazing technology for cattle rearers.

    At the workshop held at the state secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs Mr Muslim Folami said its objective was to foster peaceful co-existence between livestock and crop farmers and encourage food production.

    He said: “We want to establish and sustain cordial relationship among the cattle rearers and the crop farmers, as well as, ensure that food security status of the state is improved in peaceful and rancour free communities.

    “You will recall that in recent times, there have been incessant conflicts among the cattle herdsmen and the famers due to the encroachment on farms by the cattle. The vagaries of weather have led to shortage of pastures and grasses to the herds, especially in the northern parts of the country, which may be one of the reasons for the southward movement of the herdsmen in the country – Lagos State inclusive.

    “This is supported by increase in number of reported cases of indiscriminate grazing by the herdsmen in the state in recent time. Indiscriminate grazing means cattle are being fed on free range which usually leads to the destruction of crops which usually leads to farmers-pastoralists conflicts. Thus, farmers-pastoralists conflicts are becoming rampant in many parts of the country with attendant loss of lives and properties.”

  • Before cattle have right of way

    THESE days of reckless slaughter, all manner of decisions including bizarre ones are being taken in the name of ending the bloodbath and ensuring peace. The federal government’s plan to map out grazing routes and reserves for herdsmen’s animals is one of such wacky decisions. One is not ignorant of the need to stem the blood-flow. As hinted in the opening line, the wanton killings can move a stone statue. Boko Haram fighters are running wild in the North, wasting thousands of lives and wrecking businesses and social infrastructure valued in millions of naira. They have sent families fleeing their homes and sources of livelihood. They have attacked military facilities, even claiming lives in those confrontations. Three states in the North are under emergency rule, yet insurgency seems to be increasing in frightening proportions, one of the latest instances being the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in Borno State. Any wonder why the Jonathan administration, among other things, contemplated talking things over with the terrorists? Lay down your arms and renounce violence, and we will forgive your atrocities, even rehabilitate you, the federal administration told the fighters. What was the answer? We will have none of your overtures, Boko Haram replied. If anything, we are the ones to forgive you if we choose to. Deadlock? Yes, deadlock, but the bloodletting has worryingly continued apace.

    Consider, too, the onslaught of the presumed herdsmen. They have run riot across the land. Of the 36 states in the federation only a tiny few have been spared their attacks. In Ogume in Ndokwa-West Local Government Area of Delta State, 10 youths were reported killed by invading herdsmen on April 6, 2013. The killings reportedly resulted from a disagreement with host community farmers. Nigerians are well acquainted with plenty of such invasions and killings in Plateau State. Although many attacks go unreported, everyone knows that herdsmen’s clashes with farmers are as much an issue in Taraba as they are in Nasarawa, and indeed in much of the federal land. In Benue, local residents have been reduced to refugees, huddled up in primary schools or open camps after their homes were attacked and their farms and produce wasted by invading herdsmen.

    Any wonder that federal authorities are about to establish tracts of land, from the North to the South, where cattle will literally have right of way?

    A panel has been reportedly set up to, as we say, work out the modalities of such dedicated grazing reserves. This is strange and unlikely to help in any way. It may well be argued that since the herdsmen are Nigerians, they reserve every right to graze their cattle everywhere within the confines of their country. This argument is cheap, too simplistic and even likely to create more problems than it may solve. Here are the reasons why. One, the days of innocence seem over in the country. To the shame of the populace, ethnic harmony has since been replaced by mutual suspicion and in some cases even hostility. In Jos where I lived for a decade and relished my time there, I hear the tin and temperate table land has since been divided along ethnic lines, destroying the peace and harmony we knew back in the 80s and early 90s. Back then, the sight of Fulani herdsmen in their wide-brimmed hats and trademark sticks across their shoulders was not frightening. They led their animals up and down the rocky hills with hardly any incident with farmers or locals. In all my time in the Tin City, I never saw a herdsman clutching an AK 47. That is why some of us ask, why do otherwise simple herdsmen now carry sophisticated weapons? Where do they get such arms from? Who is backing them?

    There is another reason why the dedicated grazing reserves will not solve any problem. There is nothing to convince anyone of the willingness of the authorities to genuinely resolve herdsmen’s squabbles with farmers? How many troublemakers have been tracked down and punished according to the law after such clashes? How many of those who killed the 10 Ogume youths have been arrested at least to explain why they did what they did? How many killers in those Plateau attacks have been apprehended? Has anyone been held by the police and the law for throwing Benue farmers out of their homes and farmlands and into misery? Why should anyone be hopeful that the grazing reserves will end the hostilities? Before cattle start roaming and grazing freely in reserved land from North to South and from East to West, the federal government should consider these few points. Since some of the reserved land is likely to be someone’s source of livelihood, what compensation, if any, will be adequate for the farmer? Will it be fair to dedicate a Northern community’s fishing waters to, say, the Ijaw who mostly depend on water and fishing for sustenance considering that much of their waters is polluted by multinational oil firms? What about hunters from the Southwest and Southeast having the go-ahead to hunt game in designated parts of the North, and as frequently as they please?

    In the final analysis, it is even unhealthy, crude, backward, risky and costly to take animals across the length and breadth of this vast country in search of grazing fields. With the huge resources available to government, it is wiser, healthier and more economical to breed and graze cattle in the home states of their owners. What is required is developing and fertilizing the land for the animals. That way you solve more problems than you would create allowing the animals a free roam up and down the country.

    • This article was first published during the Jonathan administration.

  • Police recover 800 cattle in Kano

    The Kano State  Police Command has recovered 800 cattle from rustlers  on various routes across the state.
    Investigation by The Nation revealed  that 500 of the cattle were recovered from some foreigners within the west African sub region, mostly from Senegal, while the other 300 were recovered from various locations around bush paths  that are not motor able.
    The operation was carried out by a special squad led the Commissioner of Police Mohammed Katsina.
    As at the time of filling this report, the state governor  and the Emir of Kano were handing over the cattle  to their owners at Kana daw aki in Kano.

  • Police recover 82 cattle

    •Three suspects nabbed

    The Sokoto State Police Command has said it has recovered 82 cattle from rustlers.

    It confirmed the arrest of two suspects, Alhaji Musa Isah and Alhaji Muhammad Mamman, for allegedly conspiring to commit the crime.

    Police spokesman Sabo Kurawa, who addressed reporters yesterday in Sokoto, said Lawali Gidan-Igwai on September 18 reported at Tureta Police Division that on September 17, while rearing his cattle in the forest of Birisawa village in Tureta Local Government, Lawalli Umaru “criminally conspired” with two others and stole his cattle.

    According to the police spokesman, Gidan-Igwai reported that Umaru  conspired with Babuga and Alhaji Hassan, attacked him with a gun and stole 46 cows.

    Kurawa said: “The police in conjunction with the vigilance group swung into action and arrested two suspects, Alhaji Musa Isa and Alhaji Mohammed Mamman, all of no fixed addresses.

    “The police cordoned off the forest and recovered 34 of the 46 cows.”

    While investigations were on, Kurawa said two of the three suspects were in the custody at the state CID and the other one at the Tureta Police Division.

    The police command said it acted on information that some cattle were wandering in the forest of Zugu and moved to the forest with the vigilance group where they saw cows without a herdsman.

    “The cattle may have been stolen and later abandoned by rustlers. Forty-six cows were recovered in the bush,” Kurawa said.

  • Herdsmen told not to graze cattle in Abuja

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has warned herdsmen grazing cattle in and around Abuja to desist forthwith or be prosecuted.

    FCT Permanent Secretary, John Chukwu gave the warning, explaining that improper grazing of cattle in the city centre and environs constitutes public nuisance and is hazardous to road users.

    He said that this practice has adverse effects on the environment and must not be allowed to continue, stressing that Abuja is the capital of Nigeria and the window in which the world sees the country.

    According to a statement issued by Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, Chukwu said that all hands must be on deck to ensure the adequate maintenance of the Abuja environment in accordance with the change mantra of the Federal Government.

    The Permanent Secretary directed the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) to ensure full compliance; noting that Abuja city is not meant for cattle grazing because there are designated areas for such activities in the Abuja Master Plan.

    Meanwhile, the FCT Administration has frowned at the practice by some residents of the Federal Capital Territory hawking animals particularly rams on major streets of Gwarinpa II District, Abuja.

    Chukwu warned that the practice is also unacceptable because there are designated markets and areas for such activities.

    He instructed the AEPB to also ensure the immediate stoppage of such unwholesome practices by arresting and prosecuting defaulters in line with the Law.