A Fulani herdsmen’s association, Kullen Allah Cattle Rearers
Association of Nigeria, (KACRAN) said failure by the federal government to
involve the right stakeholders in the formulation of agricultural policies and
programs has incapacitated the sector to grow to it full potential in Nigeria.
The Association shifted the blame to the federal government
in a statement released on Monday in Damaturu by its National President, Khalil
Mohammed Bello.
The National President in the statement said in drafting
most of the agricultural policies, government usually considered farmers as
critical players while neglecting pastoralists, a situation which had for long
created enmity between the two inseparable brothers.
He also alleged that most Nigeria’s agricultural policies
and programs favoured the farmers than the pastoralists, noting that, it was
partly due to the involvement of the farmers’ associations in designing
agricultural blueprints in the country.
“If not all, most of the federal government’s agricultural
policies, though, we are not in doubt that they were introduced with good faith
to develop the agricultural sector in the nation, but are unilateral due to
fact that the pastoralists were neither involved in the policy formulation nor
their representatives contacted to give some inputs on the policies more
especially when it is perceived that such policies are detrimental to pastoral
occupation.
“To start with as we are severally saying, and not only we
are pressing this issue but even the former Minister of Agriculture Hon. Mr
Audu Ogbe had stated in many instances that the Nigeria’s pastoralists and
pastoralism in general were neglected for over 50 years,” Bello pointed.
He also claimed that, federal government’s FADAMA program
which was introduced with good intention of boosting the Nation’s agricultural
output, but is one of the programs which brings serious problem to Nigeria’s
pastoralists as the program prevented herders from getting shelters at FADAMA
places particularly during dry season.
“KACRAN viewed the above singular act of the federal
government as an unfortunate action and of naked injustice to Nigerian’s
pastoralists, because instead of allocating the FADAMA places between farmers
and pastoralists, but the entire FADAMA palaces were handed over to
crop/irrigation farmers to the detriment of pastoralists”, he lamented.
According to the KACRAN’s National President, the total
neglect of pastoralists’ interests has resulted in breeding gangs of criminals
among them, who are presently terrorizing farmers in different parts of the
country and which may seriously affect this year’s agricultural production, if
there is no effort to crush the criminals.
“In addition, the non-peaceful relationship between some of
the country’s pastoralists and arable crop farmers who ideally must work
together to boost the nation’s agricultural productivity is the resultant
consequences of federal government’s neglect of livestock sector in the process
of policy formulation and execution”, Bello frowned.
To reverse the ugly trend, the National President suggested
that, whenever government is epitomising agricultural policies, it should
endeavour to protect the interest of the pastoralists alongside that of the
farmers as that will assist in striking a balance between the twin brothers,
hence lessen then consequential friction existing between them.
“Government is advised to ensure that farmers and herders
are treated equally in terms of groups’ interest more especially when the
government is empowering them.
“Both farmers and herders are to be provided with adequate
security for their lives and that of their property as enshrined in the
Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution,” he urged.
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