Garba Shehu says the administration of President Muhammadu
Buhari is the first to “put forward a workable solution to the herder-farmer”
clashes.
The senior special assistant to the president on media and
publicity spoke on Friday while presenting a paper at the 10th anniversary of
the Federal University Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA), Katsina state.
The presidential spokesman said no other administration has
been able to effectively tackle the issue since Nigeria gained independence in
1960.
“It is a fact that the Buhari administration is the only
government of Nigeria that has put forward a workable solution to the herder-farmer
challenge in all the years since independence,” NAN quoted him as saying.
“The threat to
civilians and peaceful co-existence between different ethnic and religious
groups from farmer-herders clashes, banditry and land disputes are of serious
concern to the Buhari government.
“It is incorrect, however, to assert that the government has
or is doing nothing to address the threats.
“Firstly, there are ongoing efforts for the establishment of
cattle ranches to prevent or curtail open grazing, the practice that brings
herders and farmers into conflict.
“This is an age-old
problem facing Nigerian governments since the colonial days. However, matters
of land distribution are dealt with at state level.
“This means willingness has to be shown by state governors
to drive the process forward. The Federal government launched a plan last year
to work with states to address these issues together.
“Unfortunately, this has been lacking in some states, and
with regards to the long and determined battle waged against Boko Haram,
Nigerians are aware of the efforts made by this government.
“When the government came to power, the terrorist group held
and administered an area the size of Belgium. Now they hold none. The
terrorists are hiding out amongst remote forests and across borders.
“This makes it
difficult to extinguish the final flames of the insurgency, and the government
has no illusions of the potent threat still posed. Recent statistics have shown
that over 14,500 Boko Haram members have voluntarily surrendered.
The presidential spokesman added that the Buhari
administration has made progress in tackling the security threats bedeviling
the country — and they “cannot be denied”.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com