Open grazing no longer sustainable – Northern governors

The Northern States Governors Forum has said the current system of herding conducted mainly through open grazing is no longer sustainable in view of growing urbanization and population of the country.

The forum reached this conclusion during its emergency meeting held virtually to discuss issues affecting the region and the nation in general and presided over by its Chairman and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong.

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It added that it will aggressively sensitise herdsmen on the need to adopt new methods of herding by ranching or other acceptable modern methods.

The governors, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to support states with grants to directly undertake pilot projects of modern livestock production that will serve as springboard and evidence for breaking resistance to the full implementation of new methods of livestock production.

Concerns

Meanwhile, the forum has expressed concerns over the tension generated by the eviction order issued to herdsmen in some parts of the country, saying that it is heating the already fragile security atmosphere.

The governors said there were already threats of reprisals which they were working assiduously to contain.

They resolved to urgently meet to discuss the issue holistically with a view to resolving all areas of misunderstanding and conflicts arising from these threats and suspicion for the sake of national unity.

The governors called for restraint from leaders, including those in the Southern parts of the country where passions are high.

Similarly, they called on all the citizens of the north to continue to live in peace with all Nigerians irrespective of their origins and backgrounds.

Also, they urged political leaders to segregate between criminality and social groups in their domains with a view to treating criminals like criminals.

They condemned every form of criminality whether from herders, hunters, or farmers occupying forest reserves illegally.

A resolution was also reached to engage elders and youths in a robust discussion in order to douse the tensed security environment in the north, and a four-man committee was set up in that respect to be headed by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum.

Fulani herdsmen are being evicted from some states in the southern part of the country.

Their settlements were attacked in parts of Ogun and Oyo states while there have been protests in Edo State for them to leave.

Also, in the eastern part of the country, the regional security network is clashing with Fulani herdsmen.

They are being accused of kidnapping, killing and destruction of farmlands.