Federal, Edo State Government Partners To End Farmer-Herder Crisis

Must Read

News in brief: The federal and Edo state governments in Nigeria are collaborating under the National Animal Identification and Traceable System (NAITS) to address farmer-herder clashes. The scheme aims to improve livestock productivity, prevent conflicts, and trace animals’ origins, with over 8,000 lives lost in such clashes since 2005.

The federal government of Nigeria and Edo state governments are working together to create a scheme that keeps the herdsmen and farmers’ clashes in the country in check. Both parties will work under the umbrella of the National Animal Identification and Traceable System (NAITS), which the Federal Ministry of Agriculture oversees.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food security of Edo state made the announcement in an engagement with stakeholders in Benin City, the state’s capital. The meeting focused on animal identification processes and its inherent benefits, which becomes imperative in the light of unabated clashes between pastoralist herdsmen and farmers.

With the partnership in place, identification marks on cows would aid in detection in the case of straying. It helps to trace animals’ routes to determine where they came from.

The commissioner, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the scheme will help end these clashes. He also said it would boost livestock productivity as well as ensure acceptance abroad.

He added that the Edo state government under Governor Godwin Obaseki keyed into the scheme, as a means to end the cases of killings, kidnappings and farmland and sources of livelihood destruction. The Permanent Secretary further revealed that the scheme was also important because it was in tandem with government’s Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) project.

Participants at the meeting lauded the initiative, saying it was long overdue, based on the negative consequences the continued clashes had on the livelihood of citizens.

In the last decade, several rural communities in Nigeria have witnessed very bloody attacks between pastoralists and farmers, which are blamed on incursion of herders into farms. No fewer than 8,343 people have died between 2005 to 2022 due to farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria.

Joseph Akahome
Joseph Akahome
Joseph O Akahome (OJ) is a writer, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Literature from the University of Benin. He is an avid agriculturist, with a bias for poultry and an insatiable appetite for chicken wings. When he is neither reading nor researching, he likes to spend recreational time playing board games, or swimming in serene forested lakes.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

More Articles Like This

Latest News

Five strategies to reduce post-harvest losses in Nigeria

News in Brief: - The significant impact of post-harvest losses on Nigeria's agriculture, food security, and the economy. -...

Subscribe

  • Gain full access to our premium content
  • Never miss a story with active notifications
  • Browse free from up to 5 devices at once