This is perhaps a very tough
topic to deal with because of the huge controversies it generated in recent
history. Obviously, the controversy hasn’t been extinguished totally. I never
thought of writing about it initially but my interest was pricked during a
lecture on Strategic Communications (Behaviour Change to be precise) by Mr.
Obadiah Tohomdet, the MD/CEO of Simans Strategic Communications Ltd Abuja.
Having given it a thought, let’s set the ball rolling. Firstly, before I go any
further, I make bold to say that why the project didn’t succeed to the latter,
was because of near absence of strategic communications. How? The how is
probably the pregnant question for now and I urge those in positions of
authority to find out how, by consulting Strategic Communications experts. It
works like a magic wand. however, it is not a magic necessarily. At the end of
the day, it remains the cornerstone for the accomplishment of the project. Now,
back to the crux of the matter. Let me make my position known. By privilege, I
travelled to Northern Cyprus for my master’s degree in 2017. I met a friend
from Gambia who came for studies too. Literally and thankfully, he later got a
job with a Turkish Farm. I thought it was the normal conventional farm where
crops are sown and later harvested. Little did I know that it was a Cattle
Ranch. The first day I visited him at Haspolat an industrial location in
Northern Cyprus, I was blown away and left in awe. It was then I realized the
huge potential and indescribable benefits in cattle ranching. The land where
the ranch is currently situated isn’t too big but well utilized. The cows and
rams are confined in a beautifully constructed house with heavy metals that
can’t be broken or rust. A single cow is as fat as almost 10 Nigerian cows put
together. They are well taken care of with adequate food to eat and sufficient
water to drink in a healthy and clean environment with green pastures
everywhere. They don’t lack anything. Thus, they can’t move from places to
places in search for food. Quite importantly, Veterinary doctors have their
offices there to manage the animals’ health challenges. The cows and rams are
milked technologically by cutting-edge technological high-profile machines in a
milking room. The milk travels through different interconnected transparent
pipes and get stored in a big tank to be refined and sold to customers. Selling
the cows, rams and milk generates immeasurable profit and revenue for the
company and country at large amounting in hundreds of thousands of “Turkish
Lira” (The Country’s official currency). I went around the farm and saw for
myself first hand the incredible opportunity the ranch presents to the owners.
Amazing! I kept muttering throughout my over 2hrs visit.
The Nigerian Experience
Accepting the idea and
implementing it successfully in Nigeria is a hard nut to crack. It is a
difficult but solvable equation. Like I mentioned initially, there are still
pockets of controversies associated with the idea. It has generated suspicion,
fear and trepidation because of unresolved violent conflicts between Fulani
herdsmen and famers especially in the Middle-Belt region. The natural belief at
some quarters is that, lands will be grabbed by force and there will be a sort
of expansion of Fulani hegemony. Well! That’s the anxiety and trouble defining
the project in the Nigerian context. Peoples thoughts and feelings are shaped,
largely, by the prevailing situation of things in their immediate environment.
I followed the developments that sprang up when the idea was sold to the
public. There were protests and counter-protests for and against the idea. The
social media was at that time inundated with criticisms on the one hand and
praises regarding the project on the other hand. In Plateau for example, it
took the urgent intervention of the state’s peace-building agency led by Mr.
Joseph Lengmang (Joelengs) to help in explaining the idea on a better note and
dousing tension when the chips where almost down. He did that through
consultations, town hall meetings and media chats.
The Way Forward
Frankly writing, I support
ranching and I’m using this medium to throw my weight behind the project. It is
an incredible peace and economic investment that we all can benefit from. I am
a passionate advocate of peace and I believe ranching can help in resolving our
security problems to some extent. It can also be a source of employment to the
youths because the practice needs young, vibrant, skilful, good managers to
keep it alive. Christians, Muslims, the
rich and poor, young and old as well as potential agriculturalists can benefit
from it when we maximize the opportunity without injecting needless sentiment.
Firstly, the people ought to be persuaded to voluntarily key into the project
(I emphasize on the need to consult strategic communications experts in this
regard). If the interest rate rises, the government, donors as well as
investment partners should provide the capital and sufficient financial
resources to power the project. It is definitely capital intensive. The nomads
ought to be engaged strategically to adopt the idea and avoid moving their cows
to different places thereby having conflicts with farmers and local community
dwellers. Similarly, the stakeholders and ordinary citizens involved should be
taken on an international tour to Northern Cyprus, Thailand, Netherlands and
other countries where ranching is done to see and learn the rudiments of the project.
They will better appreciate the practice and build interest. Afterwards, their skills should be built to
enable them do it with professionalism. Cattle ranching is definitely the way
forward. I can’t overstate the massive revenue and benefits we can all derive
if managed with dignity and high sense of responsibility. The government has a
lot of work to do, but some of us are ready to use our expertise and experience
to make the project succeed. At the end of the day, the interest of Nigeria
ought to supersede any other primordial interest. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
6 comments:
Ranching remains the most workable and viable way out of the herdsmen farmers conflict in Nigeria and else where in the world known for cattle rearing. But most pathetically, the Nigerian state cannot muster the will to act appropriately resolve the issue. Until the day we learn to demand practical and tangible solutions to our problems from the state, we will never know peace and progress as a nation. Satmak you've said it all.
Audu Ogbeh should be informed on this peaceful solution to the farmers-herders' incessant clashes as against his suggestion for a cattle "colony". The mere connotation of the term "colony" itself instils suspicions in the minds of most Nigerians who perceive the whole policy as a mere expansionist strategy of the Fulani-led Northern oligarchy
Nigeria remains the most complex and complicated state of a nation in managing rational information integrated into spheres of life to include security strategies, economics policy, agriculture and mining, governance, management and hospitality and all others to mention but a few. On this very topic, its so pathetic to know that ranching is the best way to end the menace of insecurity in the country relating to harder and farmers saga yet, the system in the country can not content and coped it adequately. This because of the forces behind the whole controversy in implementing the ranching, to speak the truth, most of the cattle you see with the herd men are not owned by them, they are owned by most top government officials, the governors and the presidents , ministers, law makers and other big shots, and because of that, they make the implementation of ranching very difficult because of the demand required in ranching. You know they will have to own a piece of land to do that aside other factors. So, I think ranching is good for us, but as a matter of fact it remain a mirage of itself since the system is against it.
For this reason, I advocate that the people should stand firm to protect their heritage, the villagers should not give up on local vigilante , security measures and patrols, let them continue to monitor new faces of herders in and around to avoid intruders. lastly, our traditional heads should help us too, some of them are sellouts, they accept foreign and strange herd men into our villages just in the name of money, cowardice and gaining favor from the government that supports them. the traditional rulers are suppose to be the custodian and protectors of our heritage , not loose people.
Thank you so much
Manji Dach
The fact that ranching is the way out of clashes between nomadic Cattle rearers and local farmers anywhere in the World is indisputable, what is in dispute is the motive behind the situation as it is being experienced in Nigeria. Nomadic Cattle breeding still takes place in most West and Central parts of Africa with little or no clash between the nomads and their host communities, so why is it different in Nigeria? Why has it develop a bloody dimension, since the return of democracy in 1999?
As a financial consultant, I have done feasibility studies, project designs and even implementation for quite a number of Agro-based businesses (including a multi-billion Naira Cattle Slaughter Company that was to be established in the North Eastern part of the Country, prior to the Boko-Haram situation), and I can only mince words, to say how much viable it will be to the transform from the crude ways we do our agricultural business to the modern ways such is being done in other places.
Rather than the government proposing the allocation of land in all the 36 States of the federation, plus the FCT, for what they call "Cattle colonies" (smeared of political agenda), it should designate the Country into agricultural regions, identifying each region by the comparative advantage it has over other, the government can then draw a "Value Chain" program for such region, which will involved it working closely with the farmers on issues such as ranching, hay and processed feed, Veterinary services for Cattle breeders; Hatcheries, modern Pens, feeds, Veterinary services for Poultry farmers; Seedlings, Fertilizer, Tractors, Harvesters for Crop farmer, etc. Investing across board all the agricultural sectors rather than just the Cattle business is the way. By turning the Country into a cattle colony will not just only turn the entire Country into a Fulani colony, but worst, kill every other agricultural potential that abound.
Plateau State will do better, if it concentrate on developing agricultural areas like the Poultry and crop farming. The government should act it's part by facilitating the right environment through policies that allow for agricultural loans and encourage private investors to acquire the land and invest.
This piece is truly explicit and quite in depth. Nigeria and Nigerians need to key into this to put an end to the famer/harder clashes. I hope this well captured piece reaches the government and perhaps, those concerned for the execution. God bless you for opening the eyes of many to this reality.
Thank you Satmak for taking us through your practical experience on the forgoing subject. First of all i wan to commend you sens of reasoning by putting this together. This is actually a major challenge in our region with other factors associated with. Just Like others have said on this article, i have been engaging with these group of persons over the past years working on projects addressing farmers and herders issues. Based on lessons learned why the issues have not been resolve is the politicization of the farmers and herders issues, lack of political will by those in authority to take appropriate measures, poor delegations of stakeholders for experiential exchange visit to other countries that have practice and are successful etc. What are the chines doing to transform the desert area and Nigeria government should learn? there are other opportunities that we can tap from as a nation to make this happen based on our context. For the past 15 to 20 years the Nigerian government had spend alot on security and i believed that this could have been useful for creating investment opportunities and create jobs. come to think of it, is this ranching a private or government investment? What was your experience like from your visit? Until these two are separated, this issues remain open for discussions.
Transforming the current issue in our context remain key priority in finding a lasting solutions. But what about the nomadic herdsmen that move from place to place even cross country? That should be another area of focus by all groups. But farmers and herders means of livelihood had been distorted by the violent conflict in our communities. This should not continue.
Ranching and the provision of grazing reserve is the best option. However, series of dialogue engagement,high and low advocacy (targeting policy makers and those in authority), sensitization and training cannot be over emphasis and should serve an alternative for resolve the conflict arising from the groups before settling in for the ranching. More synergy across our security operatives and local vigilante should be strengthen by the government and the communities.
Thank you
Post a Comment