The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, called on Nigerians to control the movement of their livestock and embrace ranching to address recurring clashes between farmers and herders.
Musa made the call on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the forthcoming Maiden African Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference scheduled for August 25–27.
He said ranching would help prevent the destruction of farmlands and reduce tensions.
Musa said, “Traditionally, what we have done before is, if an animal strays into a farm, we arrest it, then the owner comes and pays a fine, and he takes it back. If we do that, we will have peace. But it is important that we get areas where we can keep these animals. They are better off when they are kept on a ranch.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, called on Nigerians to control the movement of their livestock and embrace ranching to address recurring clashes between farmers and herders.
Musa made the call on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the forthcoming Maiden African Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference scheduled for August 25–27.
He said ranching would help prevent the destruction of farmlands and reduce tensions.
Musa said, “Traditionally, what we have done before is, if an animal strays into a farm, we arrest it, then the owner comes and pays a fine, and he takes it back. If we do that, we will have peace. But it is important that we get areas where we can keep these animals. They are better off when they are kept on a ranch.
“If you don’t want to call it ranching, call it whatever it is, but provide an area where they don’t need to move around. I want us, as Nigerians, to look at this so that we can deal with this issue. Because one of the big security challenges we’re having is this issue of farmer-headers.”
Musa added that ranching would also improve productivity for livestock owners, noting that when animals move around, “they spend energy; they are smaller, they don’t produce so much milk for you.”
“Why don’t you ranch them? You get the best out of them. So it’s a win-win to all of us,” the CDS said.
He dismissed suggestions that advocating ranching was a push for the government to take people’s land, stressing that the practice is a business venture that can be undertaken by interested individuals or state governments.
Musa said, “Some people felt that we are encouraging the government to buy farms, and ranching is a business. I think anybody that is interested in ranching should also do that. Again, if state governments are interested in their own regions, they should do that.
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