The Federal Government has unveiled plans to restore 417 grazing reserves and create modern ranching settlements across six major conflict-prone locations as part of efforts to curb farmers-herders clashes.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, announced this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He listed Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Adamawa states, alongside the Federal Capital Territory, as priority locations because of their record of recurring farmers-herders conflicts.
Maiha explained that the government had identified 417 grazing reserves across the country and commenced a pilot programme in Plateau State to test a new livestock production model designed to reduce cattle movement.
He said the ministry was engaging pastoral communities and about 34 organisations to secure their backing for the transition from nomadic livestock production to ranching.
According to him, the government recently held discussions with pastoralists led by the Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, while another meeting is expected within the next two weeks.
Maiha stated that nomadic livestock production was becoming increasingly unsustainable because grazing routes had vanished due to farming, urbanisation and infrastructure expansion.
“Why don’t you provide these resources and stop these animals from moving? Human beings can move; they don’t cause crises. It’s the animals’ movement that normally generates this crisis,” he said.
He noted that the government would encourage commercial pasture cultivation, allowing grass to be grown within livestock settlements or produced elsewhere and transported to the animals.
He added that breed improvement would enable herders to keep fewer but more productive animals, reducing pressure on land while increasing milk and meat output.
Maiha said the ranching model would convert grazing reserves into economic communities equipped with housing, veterinary clinics, schools, healthcare facilities, solar power and earth dams for pasture irrigation.
“At the end of the day, each of those grazing reserves will become an economic hub,” he said, adding that milk processors, modular abattoirs and biodigesters would be attracted to the settlements.
The minister said consultations with pastoralists had so far encountered no opposition, stressing that nomadism was no longer sustainable.
He also announced plans to introduce radio-frequency identification tags for livestock to establish ownership, track animals and build a national livestock database.
Maiha said the government had constructed seven model veterinary clinics and planned to establish at least one model veterinary hospital in every state.
He added that the government was encouraging investment in modern abattoirs and large-scale dairy projects while promoting commercial fodder production for local consumption and export.
