President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has called on the governors in the country to provide land for herders to graze on.
Tinubu noted that if this is done, the frequent clashes between Herders and farmers will be a thing of the past and put a stop to frequent loss of lives and farm produce.
The President while speaking at the flag off of the agricultural mechanization revolution for food security and commissioning of the remodelled domestic terminal of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna, Niger state on Monday also called on all Governors to fight collectively to banish hunger from the land.
“You must care for our people, re-orientate our farming population including livestock programme. I don’t see why Nigeria cannot feed all the pupils in our schools with one pint of milk daily if our dairy system is well harnessed.
“I know what it means as an economic sabotage for roaming cows to eat up the crops and vegetation of our lands; it could be painful but when we re-orientate the herders and make provision for cattle rearing, the problems will be solved.
“The Governors should provide the lands and I as the President, I am committed in giving you a comprehensive programme that will solve this problem towards banishing hunger from the land,” president Tinubu declared.
The President said he has taken up challenges facing the country and that it is not in his character to give complaints on the job.
“When you read papers, some of us are confused whether to abuse the present or the past or make excuses for the future. Not in my dictionary. Take action now, do your best, re-engineer the finances of the country and stay ahead on the right path. Those who may be complaining now will have to understand only the persevered and consistency can make a Nation buoyant,” Tinubu remarked.
He reassured that the student loan programme will commence and that there will be unemployment benefits for the graduates adding that the social security programme for the elderly and vulnerable will also commence.
“We are fine-tuning all these areas. We will relieve people of hunger. If all of you, have been paying the wages award, pending the determination of the new salary wage, let all the state start paying the wages award. For whatever they are taking now plus the wage award, it would relieve the public.
“Please, I am not giving an order, I am appealing to you states, start paying the wages awards, let everyone start paying it. It is a relief to the people. The mechanism is that it won’t be inflationary. If we do the new minimum wage, they would have gotten used to it,” the President appealed.
Niger state governor, Farmer Umar Bago had earlier said that agriculture is key to his administration commitment to addressing the challenges in critical sectors of our economy.
“We shall seized every opportunity for the attainment of growth and engender prosperity for the people of our beloved state and by extension our dear country, Nigeria”.
“On the remodelled airport named after the President, the Airport was once in a state of comatose with failed runway, dilapidated terminal building, absence of fire and safety equipment and runway lighting system.
“The domestic terminal which had been under construction for over a decade was abandoned and as a government, we couldn’t fold our arms and allow the ugly picture it creates in the minds of visitors to subsist.
“Hence, in recognition of the importance of this critical infrastructure, the State Government took responsibility for its completion and today, I am proud to announce that the Minna International Airport is completed and renamed as Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport which you just graciously commissioned”.
Dignitaries who attended the airport commissioning includes governors of Lagos, Benue, Kwara and Kogi State, Ministers and members of the National Assembly among others.
Vanguard had in January, 2024 reported how no fewer than 60,000 lives were lost as a result of farmers/herders clashes in the country.
A report from Nextier SPD Policy Weekly report revealed that: “Farmer-herder clashes have led to the loss of over 60,000 lives. Middle Belt or most parts of the North Central region are major theatres of this insecurity, especially the farmer herder conflicts. Generally, the declining security situation did not correspond with the massive outlay of public expenditure in the sector.
“To recall a few episodes of herders attacks during the Buhari regime, the suspected Fulani herders invaded the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State between February and March 2016 and killed an estimated 500 persons. The Fulani account attributed the massacre to the earlier killing of their kin.
“Also, in April 2016, an attack by the suspected Fulani attackers on the rural Nimbo town in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu state resulted in the death of about 20 persons. In January 2018, criminal herdsmen also invaded Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue and killed 88 persons in one day.”(vanguard)
