•’Declare herdsmen’s attacks as terrorists’ acts’
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom’s advocacy for the establishment of ranches for cattle rearing, yesterday received the support of the United States of America Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington.
The envoy, who visited Governor Ortom at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, said if cattle were properly reared in ranches, instead of open grazing, Nigeria could be one of the highest income earners from milk production.
He said: “I come from a family of farmers and part of my family used to move cattle from one state called Colorado to another state called Texas every year and over time they changed until now the cow business that they do is very much one that takes advantage of the land and we have to move them on trucks.
“I had a great conversation the other day just outside the city of Jos with one of the great milk producers of the world, a company that produces milk. And I talked to the guy and he was mentioning to me that the milk that comes from the Fulani cattle can be incorporated into the great milk produced here. Literally the future of the nation could be rich when the milk of those herders get fed to the sons and daughters of families and their vegetables get fed to the sons and daughters of the herders. I am happy that you are thinking in this direction Mr. Governor.”
Ortom thanked the ambassador for the visit and solicited the assistance of the United States in the realisation of the move for ranches across the country, saying it was one reliable way of guaranteeing peace.
He said: “Let me on behalf of the government and people of Benue State welcome you to the presidential wing of the Benue Peoples House. I appreciate your visit. We were glad when we learnt you are coming to visit us because we look up to America for a lot of things. Today the presidential system of government we practise, we borrowed it from America.
“I have been advocating ranching, I know America for the rearing of cattle instead of the grazing we have in Nigeria today. Because of the shortage of land, the issue of grazing has become a major security challenge, especially in my state. Frequently, there are clashes between farmers and herdsmen because the land is not there and my people are mostly farmers, so they find herdsmen encroaching and trespassing on farmlands, thus destroying their crops and when they are confronted, it will become a fight and we have lost so much.
“I have been calling for the establishment of ranches just like it is done in America. Most of us hope that our government at the federal and state levels will come together and find a solution because this crisis is not only peculiar to Benue State. There are other states too that are affected. But to me, I see that ranching as it is done in America, can solve the problem permanently because the land is not increasing, but the population is increasing.
“When there were grazing routes in the 50s, the total population of Nigeria was less than 40 million. Today, by the 2012 projection, we are over a 170 million and by 2019, I am sure we will be hitting 200 million. So it is a big challenge. While we want to support the herdsmen to graze and rear cattle, it should not be at the detriment of lives and property of our people. So you are welcome.”
Ortom highlighted other areas of collaboration between Benue State government and the United States.
He said: “America has been supporting us in several ways. USAID has been of great assistance to my government. Before I assumed office, they were about leaving the state, but I invited them to return for a dialogue and since then, they have been of tremendous help to us.”
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the United Nations (UN) Security Council and its members to declare the continued killings of the people and destruction of property by herdsmen as a terrorists’ act.
SERAP in a letter, urged the UN to hold a special session on Nigeria and visit the country to press the authorities to end killings and destruction of property by suspected herdsmen, particularly in Northcentral.
It asked the UN to “treat the atrocities by herdsmen as terrorists’ acts, in line with the UN Security Council resolution 2349 (2017), which addresses Boko Haram’s presence in the Lake Chad Basin and calls on states to combat all forms and manifestations of terrorism.
The group said declaring attacks by herdsmen as terrorists’ acts would help make the authorities to address the threats posed by herdsmen and combat crimes against humanity being committed against Nigerians.
In the letter dated March 16, 2018 and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director Timothy Adewale, the organisation expressed concern that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration failed to uphold its responsibility to protect the citizens from atrocities by the herdsmen, which if not urgently addressed, would pose threats to regional peace and security, and by extension, international peace and security.
