The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede on Thursday urged the National Assembly to enact legislation that will make ranching a national policy to address the lingering herders-farmers crises which have exacerbated food insecurity in the country.
Oluyede, who made the call while speaking at the National Summit on Food, Nutrition and Food Security organised by the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security in Abuja, said the current reality shows that the age-long open grazing practice is no longer sustainable.
The Army Chief who was represented by Major General Olufemi Dare, Executive Director of Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches Limited, said there was an urgent need for legislation to ban open grazing and offer ranching alternatives for pastoralists.
“We must consult widely. The issue of open grazing can no longer work in Nigeria. The National Assembly must come up with legislation to curb open grazing. And before you stop open grazing, which is a culture that some people have been used to, you must provide an alternative, and what is the alternative? Ranching. We know that the government has come up with various policies, but we always introduce either religion or ethnicity to various policies.
“For you to stop open grazing on farmland, you must provide land for grazing. Even if you engage all the military and other security agencies to cover our farmland, we cannot cover every farmland. We must embrace ranching, leverage technology, and ensure every state and local government gets involved. Security agencies should be empowered to focus on their constitutional duties.”
He further noted that the Nigerian Army has established various formations aimed at preventing farmer-herder clashes.
Also speaking, Rear Admiral Yusuf Sani Idris, who represented the Chief of Naval Staff, spoke on the contribution of the Nigerian Navy to food security through the establishment of Admiralty Farms Limited, with operational farms across nearly all six geopolitical zones.
He explained that the farms provide both food security and physical security for farmers, while plans are underway to expand to other zones.
Representative of the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Assistant Commandant General Besong Michaels Ogar, stressed the need for timely information sharing to address security breaches affecting farms.
He urged the National Assembly to help streamline herder and farmer activities, by addressing the issues of cattle routes in the Middle Belt, North East and North West.
Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon.Chike Okafor, in his remark, reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to ensuring a safer and food-secure Nigeria, adding that peace and security are vital for both farmers and security agencies alike.
