Herdsmen crises: Cattle colonies divide Nigeria

The creation of cattle colonies as a means of putting an end to the incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers has become a source of division among the 36 states of Nigeria.

While all the 17 states in the South have rejected the idea, 16 northern states have agreed to the establishment of cattle colonies proposed by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh as a solution to the incessant herdsmen crisis.

It was gathered that some 16 states, all in the North, have agreed to volunteer 5,000 hectares of land each for the establishment of cattle colonies in their domain. The states include: Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Nasarawa and Plateau.

Others are Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Jigawa, Yobe, Niger, Kogi and Kwara states.

However, Benue and Taraba experiencing herdsmen attacks have rejected the cattle colonies.

Recall that Governor Ayo Fayose had vowed not to give Ekiti land for cattle colonies.

Similarly, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) rejected Federal Government’s plan to establish ‘cattle colonies,’ in South-Western states.

Reacting to the proposed plans, Olu Falae, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, slammed the idea of setting up cattle colonies across the country.

The former Minister of Finance said the word; ‘colony’ was repugnant and should be jettisoned. He said the Fulani herdsmen should rather be confined to ranches which would be equipped with ammenities needed to feed their cattle.

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”I will try to contain myself because I am provoked. You know Nigeria was a colony; through the efforts of our leaders, we were able to get the British to leave and we are free. A colony is a territory that is a dependent territory; more or less owned by another nation. Thank God, since 1960 we are no longer a colony.

Falae, who lost produce spanning over 150 hectares, said the colonies sounded more political insisting that states that had cattle rearers should be responsible for running the ranches and not the Federal Government. He said the Yorubas would not allow such ranches be set up in any of its states.

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”The proposal said government will acquire an area in a state and plant grass there for the cattle to feed on. The question I want to ask is: Why must the cattle travel from their ranch to another colony? The ranch across the world is self-contained, because there’s water there, there is processing facilities and you don’t have to march your cattle from one colony to another colony.