President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, called upon state governors to allocate grazing land for pastoralists, aiming to alleviate the recurring violent clashes between farmers and herders, and mitigate the loss of lives and agricultural produce.
Speaking at the inauguration of the agricultural mechanisation revolution for food security and the unveiling of the renovated domestic terminal at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna, Niger State, Tinubu stressed the urgency of providing grazing land to address the ongoing crisis.
Tinubu emphasised the importance of caring for the populace and restructuring the farming and livestock programmes to enhance productivity. He advocated for a comprehensive approach to dairy production, envisioning a Nigeria where every schoolchild could be provided with a daily pint of milk from a well-organised dairy system.
Addressing the governors directly, Tinubu urged them to take immediate action in providing suitable lands for cattle rearing to curb the economic sabotage caused by roaming cows damaging crops and vegetation. He pledged the federal government’s commitment to devising a comprehensive programme to tackle the issue and eradicate hunger from the nation.
Furthermore, Tinubu announced upcoming initiatives such as the student loan scheme and social security programmes for the elderly and vulnerable, aimed at alleviating hardship among Nigerians. He stressed the importance of federal-state collaboration in addressing hunger and hardship, commending the commitment shown by state leaders in tackling these challenges.
Earlier, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State highlighted agriculture as a pivotal solution to economic challenges, affirming his administration’s dedication to cultivating all ungoverned spaces to prevent banditry. He also outlined infrastructure developments, including road rehabilitation, to facilitate the transportation of agricultural goods to markets.
Bago expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for designating the Minna airport as a special agro-processing free zone, which includes provisions for greenhouses, dairy and meat processing facilities, and agro-processing storage. He outlined the state’s plans to utilise over 3 million hectares of arable land, water bodies, grazing reserves, and forest reserves to improve food security and living conditions for its people.
He said, “You must care for our people, and re-orientate our farming population including the livestock programme. I don’t see why Nigeria cannot feed all the pupils in our schools with one pint of milk daily if our dairy system is well harnessed.
“I know what it means as an economic sabotage for roaming cows to eat up the crops and vegetation of our lands; it could be painful but when we re-orientate the herders and make provision for cattle rearing, the problems will be solved.
“The governors should provide the lands and I, as the president, am committed to giving you a comprehensive programme that will solve this problem towards banishing hunger from the land.”
