Eleven states are taking steps to commence ranching as a way to address the age-long violent clashes between herders and farmers, which have claimed several lives, The PUNCH reports.

While some states have allocated lands for ranching, many others have pledged lands, and a few are developing policies that will guide the initiative as a viable business venture.

The states ready to commence ranching are Lagos, Plateau, Ondo, Zamfara, Bauchi, Delta, Niger, Kano, Jigawa, Nasarawa and Anambra.

The development comes against the surge in killings in Benue and Plateau communities linked to armed herders.

Last week, over 200 persons were murdered in Yelwata, Benue State, by armed assailants.

President Bola Tinubu attributed the incident to land-grabbing and vowed to go after the perpetrators.

He also established a committee of elders, comprising former governors and two prominent traditional rulers in the state, to promote peace in the state.

He directed the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, to immediately arrest the alleged killer herders.

The Permanent Secretary at the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, Emmanuel Audu, said the state had been developing its ranching system and was open to collaboration with the Federal Government and other interested stakeholders.

?That (collaboration with FG) is open for discussion,? he said. ?We are already developing our own ranch. We are already implementing the project, and we are at the development stage. We have the land and we are putting infrastructure (in place), and we are going to allot to private sector organizations which can start a cattle ranch.?

?The project has already started over three years ago, so we are already working on that ranching system. If there is a need for any collaboration, yes, we welcome it.?

He noted that the state had a law that prohibited open grazing in Lagos.

?We have an anti-open grazing law, we don?t support open grazing. We have a law already passed that bans open grazing, so it?s an offence to have cattle moving in the state.?

Some Lagos residents also rejected open grazing, maintaining that ranching was the way to go.

Emmanuel Sanusi, who lives in Surulere, told The PUNCH, ?Ranching is better because it is more sustainable, secure, and economically productive. Unlike open grazing, which often leads to conflicts between herders and farmers and even pedestrians, ranching confines livestock to a controlled environment, reducing clashes and improving community safety.?

Another resident and political activist, Ayoyinka Oni, said, ?I do not support open grazing in any state, especially Lagos. If cattle owners want open grazing, they should buy a large portion of land that has enough grass that can feed their cows forever.?

Another resident in the Ifako Ijaiye area of Lagos, Adebayo Adedeji, added, ?I feel neither open grazing nor ranching is feasible in Lagos due to how the state is structured as the hub of commercial activities.?

The Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, expressed the state?s disposition to ranching, saying Governor Chukwuma Soludo was working closely with the FG on the issue.

He said, ?There is an anti-open grazing law in Anambra State enacted during the past administration of Willie Obiano. It hasn?t been repealed and therefore, is still in force. The law presupposes the state?s disposition to control cattle grazing, including ranching.

?Don?t forget, Soludo is a member of President Bola Tinubu?s economic team. So, you can count on Anambra State to contribute land for ranching once other states start doing so.?

Giving an insight into the Anambra State open grazing law enacted in 2021, the commissioner said it aimed at regulating livestock movement, as well as promote ranching within the state.

But some residents kicked against the planned ranching in the state, insisting that such a move aimed to promote the personal business of some sections of the country.

Speaking on the development, a rights activist and lawyer, Dr. Okey Ifeanyi, said, ?What we are talking here is a personal business and therefore, asking states to contribute lands for ranching is a move aimed at promoting the personal businesses of some people.?

An Onitsha resident, Chief Osita Odinaka, stated, ?Although ranching is far better than open grazing, but then, since it?s a personal business, I feel it is a wrong move for the Federal Government to ask states to donate lands for ranching.?

The Ondo State Government said even though it had not entered into partnership with the FG on ranching, it had been running ranches in the state.

Senior Special Assistant to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Agri-business, Akinsola Wemimo, said the FG had not requested for land from the state, which banned open grazing in 2020 following the passage of the anti-open grazing law by the administration of late former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

Wemimo stated, ?We have two ranches, one belongs to O?dua (Investment Company) and one belongs to the state. Those are the ranches we are dealing with

?We didn?t receive any money from the Federal Government for ranching, and it has not requested our land.?

The governor?s aide, however, noted that the state was open to any investor who wanted to invest in ranching in the state.

The Zamfara State Government also said it was in support of ranching and willing to provide land for the project.

Speaking to The PUNCH, the Special Assistant to Governor Dauda Lawal on Media and Communications, Mustafa Jafaru, who described ranching as one of the measures to end Fulani-farmers clash, said, ?Zamfara has abundant land and is willing to give out the required hectares of land to the Federal Government for ranching.

?Don?t forget, Zamfara is among the states in the federation worst hit by the Fulani-farmers clash; as such, it will support any move that could bring an end to the menace. We have vast land for the project, and we are willing to provide it to the Federal Government for cattle ranching.?

Similarly, the Nasarawa State Government disclosed that it had provided 22,000 hectares of land in Awe Local Government Area for the smooth take-off of the model ranching hub project of the Federal Government.

The State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, stated this during a recent visit to political and religious leaders in Awe LG.

He explained that the state had to key into the initiative of the Federal Government to address the security problems associated with open grazing.

The governor also said that the programme would go a long way towards addressing the lingering crisis in Nasarawa and Benue states.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to ensure that the programme is inaugurated in all the states that had agreed to provide lands for ranching.

Against the backdrop of its touted benefits, the Plateau State Government indicated its willingness to partner with the FG to establish ranching facilities in the state.

The Special Adviser to the state Governor on Policy and Governance, Yiljap Abraham, said this was evident in a recent launch of the Wase Grazing Lot by the Minister of Livestock Development, Dr. Idi Mukhtar Maiha.

?The project is a joint effort between the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the Plateau State Government. The state government has reserves in Wase and Kanam for the ranching programme, with plans to modernise the Jos abattoir to increase its capacity to process up to 500 cattle daily. This initiative aims to strengthen livestock infrastructure and economic resilience in the state.?

He also highlighted the importance of addressing pastoral livestock practices to eliminate insecurity and promote peace

While the state government has not banned open grazing outright, it is gradually discouraging the practice in favour of ranching. The government has clarified that the pilot scheme will be tested in Wase and Kanam Local Government Areas, with no land grabbing or appropriation involved,? he added.

However, the Adamawa State Commissioner for Livestock and Aquaculture, Alhaji Tijani Atiku, said the state government had yet to receive a letter of request from the Federal Ministry of Livestock for ranching.

?The Federal Ministry of Livestock sent a letter to the Adamawa State Government requesting 5,000 hectares of land for pasture, but for ranching, we are yet to receive such a letter,? he said.

Atiku added that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri had approved 800 hectares for the first phase of the pasture development in three LGs.

?We have Siro Grazing Reserve in Maiha LG, Jibro Grazing Reserve in Girei LG and Daware Grazing Reserve in Fufore LG,? he stated.

Meanwhile, following the announcement by Gombe Governor Muhammadu Yahaya on the release of N60bn by the Federal Government to the state for the development of an agro-livestock hub, residents and stakeholders expressed mixed reactions, particularly on the approach the state should take between open grazing and ranching.

Yahaya made the revelation at the unveiling of the N120bn agro-livestock development project sited on 184 hectares of land.

?Open grazing is no longer realistic in today?s society. The conflicts it generates between herders and farmers are just too many,? a civil servant, Yahaya Ahmed, said.

Halima Mohammed, a farmer, said, ?If this money is used transparently, it can create jobs and reduce tension over land use. Ranching offers education, training, and veterinary care for herders ? it?s a win-win.?

In some rural communities, however, the enthusiasm is more measured. While many acknowledge the challenges of open grazing, they are concerned about displacement and a lack of consultation.

?We?ve practised grazing for generations. If ranching comes, it must carry us along,? said Bello Musa, a Fulani community leader in Akko.

?The government should not impose it without providing water, feed, and veterinary services in these ranches. Let it not become another abandoned project.?

Youth groups and civil society organizations have called for full transparency in the use of the funds.

?This is a massive sum,? said Grace Bitrus, a youth advocate based in Kaltungo. ?The government must ensure that every naira counts. Beyond infrastructure, we need training centres for animal health, feed processing, and meat handling. It shouldn?t just be about buildings.?

?We?ve lost too much to stray cattle,? said Aliyu Mohammed, a maize farmer in Yamaltu-Deba. ?This hub must help resolve that. We welcome ranching, but it must come with enforcement.?

Down south, residents of Akwa Ibom State threw their weight behind the government?s move to establish cattle ranches in the state.

Mrs. Lovina Anthony called on the communities to donate lands for ranching, saying the move would reduce farmers-herders clashes and contribute to food security.

?When you see these herders moving around, you know there?s a threat. But since there will be a designated place for the cattle, the clashes will be reduced, and this would contribute to food security in the country,? she stated.

Benue, Edo undecided

On its part, Benue State noted that it advocated ranching as the best option, hence its anti-open grazing law enforcement in the state.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mathew Abo, however, said the government was yet to decide if it would allocate lands for ranching.

He said, ?The President also said the same thing during his visit last week, but the state government is yet to meet to decide whether we would give lands to the Federal Government to establish ranches or not.

?I cannot just say, as a commissioner, that we will give land or not until the government takes a decision on it, and whatever the decision of the government, we will let the public know.?

Meanwhile, some residents opposed the idea of giving lands to the central government for ranching.

Terna, a teacher, stated, ?With the killings in the state, you want our land to be given to the Federal Government to establish ranches. In fact, no one is talking about ranching cattle again in the state; we don?t want anything to do with Fulani herdsmen. We have an anti-open grazing law in the state, but have the killings stopped??

Ede, a senior civil servant in the state, added, ?God forbid that we give our land to anyone for ranching.

?The Buhari administration tried everything to set up RUGA, but we refused. Benue is not ready to cede any part of its land to anyone, particularly the Fulani.?

The Special Adviser on Agriculture to Edo State Governor, Gold Igbodu, said the state government had not taken a decision on ranching.

A Benin-based development practitioner, Lucky Isibor, argued that open grazing was outdated, noting that the government should embrace ranching.

?However, like in Edo State, the government should look at the policy implications of accepting the N60bn from the Federal Government support for the implementation of ranching.?

Also, Kwara State has yet to fully adopt ranching, it was learnt. The government has dug many boreholes in Fulani settlements in the local government areas, including Asa, Moro, Ifelodun, Irepodun and other councils for the provision of water for the cattle in the forest.?

Notably, some farmers and residents in Kwara expressed their preferences for ranching as a veritable means of resolving the farmers/herdsmen clashes.

Chairman of the state branch of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Aboki Umar, stated, ?I?m a crop farmer and I have cows which I keep on my ranch. My cows are not allowed to graze on other people?s farms, and till now, my animals have not finished last year?s feeds. So, I will prefer ranching to open grazing.?

Speaking on the issue, the Oyo State Government insisted the anti-open grazing law was still in force in the state.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, said more than 58 cows were arrested in the last two years, while many erring herdsmen were charged to court for violating the law.

The State House of Assembly in 2019 passed the anti-open grazing bill, which was later signed into law by Governor Seyi Makinde.

Olaleye warned that anyone found culpable of violating the law would be dealt with.

The commissioner explained that the state government constructed a security post at Ijaye Farm Settlement to strengthen security in the area.

Oyo is the safest for farmers. We have enough arable farmland. We have the highest number of Amotekun personnel. The state is now safe for farmers who have the intention to go into commercial farming.

More than 58 cows have been arrested in the last two years. We have imposed fines on many herdsmen for violating the law. We have charged some herdsmen to court.

?The anti-open grazing law is still in force. We have constructed a security post at Ijaye Farm Settlement. So, no farmer has left the Ijaye Farm Settlement.

?In order to ensure food security, we have also talked with some communities to give us their lands for agricultural production,? he added.

It was learnt that Bayelsa State also prohibits open grazing with violators arrested and prosecuted.

However, the state government has set aside a swathe of land for grazing but it is not clear if the government would convert it to a ranch to benefit from the Federal Government?s largesse.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof Beke Sese, could not be reached for comments as at the time of filing this report.

But farmers in the state are divided over the establishment of ranches.

Baring her mind on the issue on Sunday, a farmer, who identified herself simply as Miss Juliet, said, ?Well, if government can do it, it will greatly assist farmers and protect them and their crops from the menace posed by herdsmen.

But, I want government to also consider the empowerment of farmers to enable them expand their farms and increase production.?

Another farmer, Gift Ogon, said, ?You know that one of the causes of the ongoing clashes between farmers and herdsmen is because of land grabbing.

?Once you establish a ranch for herders they may not be content with the area and could seek to expand it, which could lead to further crises.

?So, as it is with the anti-open grazing law in operation, the state government should enforce the law so that herdsmen do not venture beyond the boundaries of the area allotted to them for grazing purposes.?

Imo PDP kicks

The spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State, Lancelot Obiaku, said they were opposed to ranching, saying it could provoke clashes.

Obiaku queried the interest of the Federal Government in dabbling into a private business.

However, a don at the Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Services, Umuagwo, Dr. Desmond Echeta, called for a legal framework to guide ranching, even as he expressed hopes it will stop clashes, saying ranching had become a necessity.

The Acting Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies of the Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Services, said, ?I want to say authoritatively here that open grazing is no longer sustainable.

?Recently, we heard that there was conflict in Agwa in the Oguta Local Government, where some armed headsmen butchered some citizens. So I?m sure that this will end the recurring conflicts and tap into the growing agro-livestock economy.? (The PUNCH)

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