By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON.
The controversies generated by the call for each state to reserve a grazing reserve to end Farmers/Herders clash seems to have been laid to rest as the Federal government confirmed that enough land has been secured nationwide to establish ranches in all states of the federation in few days to come.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbe revealed this while speaking on Thursday in Abuja at a town hall meeting organised by the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), where he acknowledged that there is hardship in the land because the nation does not have money to import even “toothpick” due to dwindling oil revenue.
He also said his ministry will launch a road map for agriculture sector in a week time.
Giving assurance that the incessant Farmer/herdsmen clash will soon be a thing of the past, the Minister also explained that not all grasses are good for consumption for cows because whatever they eat is indirectly transferred to human beings.
“We want to end the cattle grazing wahala between herdsmen/farmers crisis. We have about 45 million hectares of land idle, there is no reason why there should be problem.
“The conflict has to end. So, we are going to develop ranches nationwide but nobody is going to seize land from anyone, nobody is going to force anyone to surrender land, we have enough land donated already by states and that programme will start in about few day from now and I assure you this crisis will come to end.
“People have been asking me where is your roadmap? We will be launching our road map in a week time.”
The Minister enjoined young Nigerians to begin to actively participate in agriculture “because in the next 34 years time the population of this country will be 450 millions. At least, five per cent of humanity will be from Nigeria, who is going to feed them?.”
On his part, information and culture minister, Lai Mohammed, told the gathering that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari “is also tackling other security problems with the same decisiveness; whether it is cattle rustling, herdsmen/farmers’ clash, militancy and regional agitations.”
Speaking on the ongoing fight against corruption, Alhaji Muhammed said that the recent recovered loot is a tip of the iceberg compare to what is to come.
“Let me use this opportunity to assure Nigerians that while there is still much work to be done, this Administration neither lacks the political will nor the discipline and the determination to fulfil its electoral promises and take Nigeria to greater heights.
Lai added that “The Change we promised is real, and with the takeoff of our massive, 500 billion Social Intervention programmes in a few days, Nigerians will begin to feel the impact of the new order. As a matter of fact, the first roll-out of the Intervention Scheme will start this Saturday, June 11th, when the Internet portal named npower.gov.ng will start taking applications for the 500,000 direct teacher jobs scheme.
