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Ganduje Reveals Only Way To End Farmer-herder Clashes

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Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has the only option to end the clashes between herders and farmers is the establishment of Rural Grazing Areas (RUGA).

Naija News reports that Ganduje stated this at the National Conference on Livestock Reforms and Mitigation of Associated Conflicts in Abuja on Monday.

The governor stated that RUGA would afford herders land to graze their livestock and prevent the cattle from going into farmlands and destroying them.

Ganduje said modernising the livestock sector is the way to go, adding that his government has established 25 units out of 500 projected RUGA settlements.

He stated that there is a need to educate the herders about the development of grazing reserves in order to curb conflicts between them and farmers.

He said: “The RUGA or ranching, which has been deliberately politicized, remains the only option that would go a long way in mitigating existential problems, as pastoralists would have lands to graze without cattle encroaching on people’s farmlands.

“Because herders need fodder for their cattle and promote alternative means of producing feedstock, which reduces the need for grazing land.

“We have gone far in the establishment of RUGA settlement in Kano. Already, 25 housing units out of the projected 500, situated on 4, 413 hectares of land at Dansoshiya Forest in Kiru local government have been completed and handed over to the herders. The replica of the houses will be displayed during an exhibition planned as part of this conference.

“Modernising the livestock sector is not only key to resolving the herder-farmer conflict but was envisaged that this economic investment pillar will support and strengthen the development of market-driven ranches for improved livestock production through breed improvement and pasture production.

The governor added that the country needs to avoid the dangers of allowing the farmers-herders conflicts to degenerate into religious or ethnic conflicts.

He said: “It is also very important that we must also avoid the dangers of allowing these conflicts to harden to religious or ethnic conflicts.

“This is the responsibility of political, religious, and all other parts of our leadership elite in Nigeria.”