New FG livestock plan must embrace time framework, say ARCN boss, Uni-Ben wildlife don

·       Both disagree on forest reserves

The Executive Secretary (ES) Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) Prof. Hasimi Garba Sharubutu and a Professor of Wildlife management, faculty of agriculture, University of Benin, Prof. Gideon Emelue together agreed on the need for the new Federal Government (FG) Livestock Agricultural Agenda Programme to apply time frame for the adoption of ranching mechanism to mitigate constant conflict between the pastoralists and farmers in the country.

Also the two dons disagreed on the issue of forest reserves as they expressed different views to checkmating insecurity in this regards, even as the southern state governors have pronounced total ban on open grazing of cattle in their states.  These positions and many other were taken at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Good Morning Nigeria held last week Thursday, on the heel of the Presidential order to establish cattle ranches and forests reserve preservation towards ensuring peaceful coexistence between the farmers and herdsmen towards productivity. 

Also on the show was the Special Adviser (AS) to the Minister, Dr. Sale Momale who said the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) had since proposed a new livestock action plans to reposition the productivity of animals system with investment into the provision of land and water facilities and all other improved technologies cum personnel that have productive capacity adding that relevant institutions at the states and local government levels must give their consent before any action can be taken.

Speaking to the new game plan actions of the FMARD as being reeled out by the Special Adviser, Dr. Momale, the two professors agreed on the use of ranching of animals to mitigate the present conflicts across the country between the farmers and pastoralists within a stipulated period time frame for effectiveness, saying application of time frame work would result to positive result thereby making the approach different from all others in the past.

Prof. Sharubutu who described the new livestock game plan of the FMARD as re-energising of the old wine in an old bottle pointed that the plans must be made proactive with a time frame for it to be effective for animals productivity as a commercial business with facilities provision to stakeholders by government in partnership with the private stakeholders towards gravitating to total adoption of animal ranching across board. He added that the ban position of the southern governors was not a pragmatic solution, but rather a narrow way of looking at cattle productivity as exclusive right of the Fulani people without deep consideration to other animals like piggery, rabbits, goat and sheep that each state can harness as economic potential.

While giving credence to former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina for this same forth sight in the management and development of animal productivity in the country, Prof. Sharubutu pointed that somebody in Lagos or Enugu may not necessary want to see a live cow, but rather a processed meat and fresh milk from the North or any other part of the country as he pointed that our craze for national cake has distorted our regional comparative advantages concept of agricultural productivity and competitiveness in agricultural produce.

‘’ Dr. Adesina had actually proposed this concept of let us produce livestock to Lagos. The person in Lagos or Enugu is more interested in the meat than seeing a livestock live. But our flair for sharing from the national cake is what is truncating this whole concept in the country. There is nothing wrong with actually producing where the livestock is produced’’ said Sharubutu’’

 

On forest reserves, the ARCN ES pointed that the criminality activities being perpetuated at most of the forest reserves in the country required that more government’s presence through effective surveillance be galvanised for maximum security to prevent kidnapping business in such places, stressed the need for training of agro rangers for them to be able to man the forests effectively for security purposes and safety of lives.  

According to him ‘‘the way my colleague is looking at forest reserve is not actually the way they are when considered the level of criminality taking place in these places due to the nature of these densely populated forest reserves, and that is why government is interested in such place to curb criminal activities going on there as trained agro rangers will be allowed to man the place with geographical information system to ensure efficient monitoring of the places’’

In his position on the subject matter of ranching and forest reservation, Prof. Gideon Emelue said he quite agreed that ranching would be the best option for now to checkmate constant conflict between pastoralists and farmers, while also supported Prof. Sharubutu’ position for time framework, saying its adoption would ensure things being put in place to eradicate the brunt always inflicted on farmers in the southern region where their crops are daily destroyed without anybody taking responsibility for reparation or compensation as he supported the stance of the southern governors on  open grazing  as immediate remedy to the conflicts.

According to him ‘‘ i think ranching seems to be the best for now. There are countries like Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique and Ethiopia that had taken practical steps in this regards which i don’t know how long it took them. Ordinarily we know taking cow from one place in open grazing land has not worked as regards looking for food and water. When you say you want to engage these who are moving about the cow with the communities, who actually are you dealing with? Who are the owners of these cows in case of accident and need for compensation ’’

Prof Emelue queried the measurement statistics of numbers of cow that are moved from one state to the other without proper identification of the owners for responsibility in case of any accident, saying that ‘’ I have tried to listen very well to the statistical figures of cattle moving from one country to another, but i did not know who takes care of the cows moving from one state to the other. Cows are moving from Nasarawa to Benue, who knows the statistics of the one going from Oyo state. Nobody is saying people should pack away from their state, what they are talking is that ranching is the modern method, and those with the investment must invest into it to forestall conflict.  Those doing poultry must build poultry house to stock their chicken, and why is it that we are not asking somebody who wants to rear cow to do same’’

On forest reserves, Emelue said that the place is exclusively reserved for timbres, rivers and other forest related activities under the custody of the states government, saying its usage cannot be compared to grazing reserve where grazers utilized for their cattle production, adding it is also different from national parks where animals of all kinds are being kept for preservation against going extinctions.

According to him ‘‘ when you talk about forest reserves, we are talking about an area that is reserved, delineated and gazetted for the purpose of either for timber products, or for taking care of where we have rivers and all the likes. The major issue at stake is to produce goods and services that are associated with the forest. If you talk of forest reserve in the south being turned to become a grazing reserve will not be as easy as you are looking at it. In fact in all over the Africa, the forest is always innocently looking the way they are looking. It is not a must to put machine guns in the forest if we all agree on what we want as our boundary’’