YOLA – An agriculture expert, Dr Walia Hamman, on Thursday blamed northern governors for their lack of interest in the restoration of the 1960 Northern Nigeria Grazing Reserve Gazettes.Walia, who is the National Livestock Project Coordinator, North East zone, stated this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola.
He attributed the constant conflicts between farmers and pastoralists in the region to the lukewarm attitude of the governors to restore and implement the gazettes.
“In order to restore peace to the conflicts areas, governors from the region must show interest in the restoration and implementation of 1960 gazettes.”
Walia observed that all states in the north, excluding Benue, had federal and state grazing reserves for cattle rearing.
The expert said that the 1960 gazette clearly specified fundamental issues which, if properly implemented, could solve the conflicts once and for all.
Walia also noted that the issue of stock route, which he described as a matter of concern, had also remained unresolved.
Referring to records contained in the 2011 National Livestock Development Programme, he said that the Federal Government had demarcated over 4,500 kms of stock routes in the North East zone of the country.
He said that the main objective of the demarcation was to prevent frequent clashes between farmers and pastoralists.
The expert said the concept of stock route demarcation was aimed at alleviating the problem and thereby increase animal production in the country.
Walia, who is also the Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Adamawa, said that most of the routes demarcated were from the northern part of the country, moving down South.
He said that the Federal Government sponsored 50 per cent of the project, while states and local governments financed the remaining in 30 and 20 per cent respectively.
He expressed regret that since the conflict spread to other states across the country, over 20,000 pastoralists had migrated to neighbouring countries.
Walia said that due to the conflicts, Nigeria had lost no fewer than three million cattle, sheep and goats to the neighbouring countries. (NAN)