Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, has called on the federal government to fast-track the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), in order to curb Clashes between farmers and herders.
The NLTP was introduced by the federal government to contain the farmer-herder crisis in Nigeria.
Speaking on Wednesday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the governor said the plan will help herdsmen who wish to resettle in the northern region if they leave the southern states due to the ban on open grazing.
He said “We discussed the issue of Wawa-Zange grazing reserve. I think it is the largest grazing reserve that is gazetted in the whole of Nigeria, totaling 144,000 hectares,”.
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“I believe that Mr. President, earlier in 2020, precisely in his 2020 January speech, acknowledged and approved that the National Livestock Transformation Plan will take off with a model from Gombe, the Wawa-Zange reserve.
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“But so far, nothing serious has been done on that, and with the recent outburst, with the position taken by governors of the southern part of this country, there is the need for us to fast-track the process of building that place. So that in the event our people move in multitudes to come back to resettle, we will have space for them.
“We will avoid situations where there will be rancour and there will be no issues to do either with farmers and herders again, or issues to do with the herders themselves having problems because there isn’t any space for them to stay.”
“We’ve requested funds. I believe that every other state will do so, because you need the resources in order to implement and there is scarcity of financial resources in the state,” he said.
“We’ve requested, but I will not tell you how much. But at least, we’ve submitted a proposal that is fully backed by a feasibility report that indicates what we require.
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“With the size of Wasa-Zange — 144,000 hectares that are specifically meant for cattle and other livestock — really, there’s justification for the government to put in money so that we can avoid this rancor and issues to do with farmers and herders that has already degenerated in some parts of the country to banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom.”
