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Killings: Creation Of Grazing Routes ‘A Recipe For More Chaos’ – Ogbeh

  The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, has ruled out the creation of routes for open grazing as the solution to … Continue reading Killings: Creation Of Grazing Routes ‘A Recipe For More Chaos’ – Ogbeh


Killings: Why Ranching Remains The Best Solution – Agric Minister
A file photo of the National Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mr Audu Ogbeh.
Killings: Why Ranching Remains The Best Solution – Agric Minister
Mr Audu Ogbeh

 

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, has ruled out the creation of routes for open grazing as the solution to the clashes between farmers and herdsmen in Nigeria.

Speaking on the crisis during his appearance on a special Channels Television programme – The Core on Wednesday, Mr Ogbeh described such recommendation as “a recipe for more chaos”.

READ ALSO: Army Launches ‘Exercise Cat Race’ To Tackle Killings In Benue, Other States

Instead, he maintained that establishment of cattle colonies and ranches would go a long way in addressing the issue.

The minister is, however, aware of the criticism against his plan.

“It’s very nice to say ranches won’t work, they won’t work because they were not well managed. It’s not enough to cut out an area and say it’s a grazing reserve – grow the grass,” he said.

Ogbeh, who said he was widely insulted over his comments on the social media, noted that he had warned state governments to take proactive steps to prevent the ugly incidents.

He was, however, disappointed that the responses he got from a majority of the governors were not encouraging.

The Minister said: “Two years ago when I came into the Ministry, I wrote to all the state governors saying, ‘we face danger and this crisis can only get worse if we do nothing’.

“Can we have some lands in your state where we create large reserves of ranches to keep these cattle and give them the grass, the water, and the medication they need? Some replied positively, and some said no.”

He further accused the governors of being careless in addressing the crises and called for a reform in the management of livestock in the country.

Mr Ogbeh made the comments the same day lawmakers at the House of Representatives asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris.

The Federal Government has been under intense pressure over the killing of several people in Benue and Taraba among other states by suspected herdsmen.

As part of efforts to address the issues, the Nigerian Army has launched a new operation codenamed “Ayem Akpatuma”, meaning ‘Cat Race’ which would run from February 15 to March 31 in Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger states.