Farmers/herders conflict: 500 wise men to brainstorm on lasting solution – Jega

In a bid to find a lasting solution to the persistent farmers/herders clashes in the country, a 2-day National Conference on Livestock Reforms and Mitigation of Associated Conflict in Nigeria is billed for Monday in Abuja.

The Chairman of the 30-man multi-disciplinary organising committee, Professor Attahiru Jega who disclosed this to newsmen on Saturday in Abuja said the theme of the 2-day talk shop is “Sustainable Livestock Reforms and Mitigation of Associated Conflicts in Nigeria: Farmers/Herders Clashes”.

He also said that the dialogue which would be having five key sub-themes is to develop a blueprint and come up with solutions to the perennial problem.

According to Jega, the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the primary objective of the conference is to bring together a range of stakeholders for cross-fertilization of ideas about how to reform the livestock sector in this country for significant value addition to the economy of Nigeria.

He also said would ensure that such reforms are “sustainable, and they also promote social cohesion rather than conflicts, which have bedevilled the livestock production sector and discount with the traditional practices associated with livestock development in this country has been conflicting riddling and it is very, very important that we find permanent solutions in terms of mitigating those conflicts, and indeed, having sustainable ways of not only developing the livestock sector but preventing, if not eliminated, such conflicts.”

Jega further said that the stakeholders at the conference are drawn virtually from all the segments of Nigerian society.

According to him, “There will be government officials, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, there will be people from academia, there will be representation from our development partners who are here in Nigeria. And we have chosen the best of the best resource persons to make presentations during the conference.

“Some of them are professors, some of them entrepreneurs, some of them are corporate persons associated with livestock business, some of them are researchers, some of their associations of either key producers, key participants in the livestock value chain.

“Without sounding modest, I think we can say this perhaps, the best or one of the best groupings of arrays of stakeholders in an inclusive process to address a national problem.

“And there is no doubt that given the competence and calibres and the capacity of the people we are putting for this conference, the deliberations are going to be very rich and therefore impactful in terms of producing a blueprint to address this problem on a sustainable basis.”

Kano State governor, Dr. Umar Ganduje inaugurated the 30-man organising committee on the 19th of January, 2023.

(TNT)