The Billitar Maroobe Pastoralist Association of Nigeria (BILMPAN) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on Jigawa Government to return their grazing lands to its members.
Alhaji Ya’u Malammadori, a member Board of Trustees (BoT) of the association in West Africa, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Hadejia on Monday.
Malammadori alleged that Gov. Muhammad Badaru seized the grazing lands from its members in various parts of the state without providing alternatives.
He said that pastoralists in jigawa were in a difficult situation because they derive their livelihood from grazing.
“Since Badaru seized these lands from us, we don’t know what to do and where to go with our animals.
“We are in dilemma because we are also indigenes of Jigawa and citizens of Federal Republic of Nigeria living peacefully with everyone:
“We wondered why he should deprive us of these privileges and rights,
“The grazing lands have been in existence since the colonial era but we wondered why the governor should take the lands from us without providing alternative.
“We are, therefore, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly intervene because we are also indigenes of the state, we don’t have any place to go, ” he said.
He stressed the need for the Jigawa Government to return their grazing lands so as to prevent members of the association from moving from one place to another in search of pasture for their animals.
He expressed regrets that when calamity befalls farmers or traders, government sympathises with them and even assist them but when cattle breeders lose their herds nobody cares.
NAN reports that Badaru in 2017 allocated some lands in Gagarawa, Taura and Hadejia Local Government Areas to Chinese Firm and Dangote Group of Companies.
The lands were for the establishment of sugar factory and manufacturing of other products. (NAN)