January 31: President Muhammadu Buhari wrote a letter to the Senate titled “Re: Report on the Review of the Security Infrastructure on Nigeria on the Emergency Visit to Benue,” enumerating several courses of action that had been taken by the Federal Government since the farmers- herdsmen crisis began. Read full letter here
February 1: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presided over the meeting of the National Economic Council Working Group on the Herdsmen/Farmers conflicts in parts of the country at the Presidential Villa. A number of State Governors are members of the NEC Working Group. Governors of Adamawa, Ebonyi, Plateau, Kaduna, and Zamfara States, and Deputy Governors of Benue and Oyo States were present. Also in attendance were the Ministers of Agriculture and Interior. At the end of the meeting, the Working Group constituted a Sub-Committee to visit frontline States and hold consultations with stakeholders on how to end the conflicts. The Sub-Committee will visit Benue, Taraba, Zamfara & Adamawa States, to understand the different conflict dynamics and develop long-term solutions.
Sustainable Public-Private Solutions:
One of these long-term solutions is the implementation of the recommendations and outcome of the National Conference on the Transformation of the Nigerian Livestock Industry held in Abuja from September 11 to 15, 2017. The conference, organized by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, had in attendance stakeholders across the academia, agriculture/development institutions, security agencies, representatives of farmers and herdsmen associations, community and religious leaders.
One of the Conference recommendations is the modernization of Nigeria’s livestock industry through the establishment of Ranches:
- These Ranches will be Public-Private Partnerships, involving the Federal and State Governments, local communities, and private investors.
- They will offer Land, Water, Pasture and Security, and include facilities for production of livestock, fodder and pasture, grain for livestock feed, as well as processing and service facilities.
- Funding will come from a variety of sources including a proposed ‘Anchor Growers Scheme’ to be developed by the CBN and modeled after the existing Anchor Borrowers Scheme launched for smallholder farmers in November 2015.