Herders, farmers’ clashes: Foundation to meet govs, stakeholders

Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation yesterday insisted that the issue of herders, farmers’ clashes “is critical to the unity and development of Nigeria,” and called on all stakeholders to join hands in resolving the issue.
Speaking at the end of its two-day round table conference on the herders, farmers’ conflict, the Secretary of SABMF Board of Trustees, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, said the solution to the crises “is not a simple one man or tenure thing, but a process that would cater effectively for all aspects of the issue.”
He said the round table involved all stakeholders to the crises, farmers, herdsmen, civil society groups, human rights groups and agriculture service experts and they all contributed to finding a lasting solution to the clashes.
“We all agreed that there are problems, misunderstandings between herdsmen and farmers, suspicion of injustice on the part of all parties involved. There is long neglect by various governments in the last decade on the clashes.
“We all need to join hands to find solution to the problem, it is not a tenure thing or one man, it will take a long time to resolve the problem but all the stakeholders should agree and be determined on the need to find lasting solutions,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “The Foundation has assembled the presentations and the facts and figures. The next thing is in the next couple of days the Foundation board of trustees and advisory council to hold meeting and put on the table all the issues and come out with far reaching recommendations and approach all concerned Northern Governor’s Forum, civil society organisations, farmers, herders and come up with a way forward.”

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