Ganduje’s Call For Banning Of Nomadic Herding

The call by the Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, for a law banning nomadic herding could not have come at a better time.

The call comes at a time when clashes between herders and farmers have become regular occurrences nationwide and rogue herdsmen and some other unscrupulous Nigerians have turned kidnapping into a burgeoning criminal enterprise.

There is no part of the country that is free of the evil of kidnapping and lives of many prominent people have been lost to rogues hiding under the cover of being herders to build criminal enterprises in forests nationwide.

Thus, it is an understatement to say that the nation is under siege and something serious needs to be done urgently to address the problem and the suggestion by Ganduje could be one of the key solutions to the problem.

Breeding of cattle is a very lucrative enterprise and the nature of the business has evolved over centuries. From herding cows, most nations have moved to ranching and the yields in milk and beef have been proved to be higher among cows bred in ranchers than the ones bred through open grazing. Ranching also gives cattle breeders and their cattle access to good healthcare facilities and could also create access to quality education for children of cattle breeders or owners.

And so in a way, it is win-win when herding is ditched for ranching. Also, the northern part of the country is blessed with abundant land resources, some of which could be turned into ranches for cattle breeders which could be built by the government and rented out to cattle owners at subsidized rates.

Other states in the country could also invest in building ranches or facilitate the construction of the facilities by the private sector. That is a simple solution to stop this avoidable bloodletting that occurs through clashes between herders and farmers. Outlawing open grazing nationwide will also finally eliminate the cover used by some rogue herdsmen to commit heinous crimes.

We advise the National Assembly members to eschew sectionalism and give this matter the objective attention it deserves when they resume legislative duties this week. They should find a quick and lasting solution to this festering sore by passing a bill outlawing moving cattle from one state to the other. Farmers and cattle breeders both have rights to operate their businesses without let or hindrance. Fair’s fair.