By Mohammed Lawal
Zaria (Kaduna State) – The National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) on Tuesday commenced the training of over 100 Nomadic Education Field Level Extension Agents and Officers on modern cattle ranching.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training, which drew participants from across the six geo-political zones of the country, was meant to curb the incessant conflicts between pastoralists and farmers.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Zaria, Kaduna State, the NCNE Executive Secretary, Prof. Bashir Usman, said the training was designed for field extension agents to promote the adoption of intensive livestock production.
Usman said it was also meant to create critical field officers knowledgeable in ranching.
According to him, the training will provide the staff the necessary skills to guide and direct pastoralists on how to key into the new system of production.
Other objectives of the training, he said, included acquainting the participants with the roles and responsibilities of critical stakeholders on ranching.
“Implementation of the ranching system entails the provision of the requisite resource and infrastructure to serve as window of opportunities for the livestock producers to have access to improved production facilities.”
Usman observed that the transformation and modernisation of Nigeria’s livestock industry entailed a paradigm shift from the predominantly extensive and uncoordinated tradition to a more formal and systematic industry of ranching or intensive livestock production system.
He said: “Currently, there are 416 grazing reserves spread across the six geopolitical zones of the country with a total of 3.4 million hectares of land out of which 141 are grazed, while 275 are yet to be grazed.
“In line with this, the commission established 17 Model Nomadic Education Centres as Gazetted grazing reserves.
“Therefore, this training workshop is significant in many ways and it is of course apt and timely toward reducing incessant conflicts between farmers and pastoralists,” he stated.
In his speech, the Acting Director Department of Extension Education and Skills Development, Dr Abdu Umar Ardo, said the training would provide the participants the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills.
“This training will provide participants the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge needed for the successful implementation of ranching for the overall improvement of access and quality of basic education as well as quality of life of their teaming clientele.’’
The Chairman Governing Board of the Commission, Prof. Gidado Tahir, said the training would provide very practical and relevant approaches that would be useful insights on ranching, peace building and conflict resolution and management.
He said the training would also provide the trainees with strategies that would enable them effectively interface with the pastoralists with a view to broaden their understanding.
Tahir said it would similarly accelerate the process of adoption as well as facilitate increased access to quality and functional basic education to nomads.
A cross section of the trainees said this effort would lead to development of grazing reserves by providing the requisite facilities that would attract pastoralists to permanently settle in designated developed grazing reserves. (NAN)