By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has urged the federal government to establish more ranches in the northern region.
Alhaji Othman Ngelzarma, the National Secretary of MACBAN, said this in an interview on Thursday in Abuja.
Reacting to the southern governors’ ban on open grazing, Ngelzarma, appealed to the Federal Government to assist each of the 19 states in the north to establish two or three ranches.
He said, “We are never opposed to settlement of pastoralists throughout the country.
“To achieve this there has to be a model of settlement for the pastoralists to see and emulate because there was no any attempt by past administrations to modernise animal husbandry in the country.
“The pastoralists we have practice the primitive system they inherited as the only option available for them. This system is no longer sustainable considering the growing population, and demand for land that do not increase.
“The pastoralists are also bonafide citizens whose rights and privileges deserve protection.
“As a solution, the northern governors must open discussion with their southern counterparts on the matter in order to come up with an acceptable position for both farmers and herders in their respective states,’’ he said.
The MACBAN general secretary, however, urged the southern governors to consider the plights of the pastoralists while agitating for anti-open grazing policy for the sake of peace and unity of the country.
He advised them to temper justice with mercy in view of the prevailing “fragile’’ security situation in the country.
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