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.
