By Abdullahi Lukman
The Youths Against Disaster Initiative (YADI) has urged the Federal Government to implement comprehensive ranching reforms to address farmer-herder conflicts, boost food security and strengthen national stability.
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, YADI Programme Officer, Farouk Bala, said Nigeria’s decades-old open grazing system has fueled recurring violence, particularly in the North-Central region.
He cited data from the Centre for Crisis Communication and the Nigerian Security Tracker indicating that about 3,000 people were killed and over 300,000 displaced in farmer-herder clashes between 2018 and 2023.
According to Bala, the 2024 Nigeria Watch Report documented 567 deaths linked to farmer-herder violence across 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory within one year, describing the figures as evidence of lives and livelihoods destroyed.
He said structured ranching is increasingly viewed as a sustainable alternative that can reduce disputes over land and water, while modernising livestock production.
Bala commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting ranching reforms, noting that Kwara State has been selected as the pilot state.
Bala added that misinformation has contributed to resistance against ranching, despite the Federal Government’s disclosure that the livestock sector contributes more than $32 billion to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
Under the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (2025–2030), he said the sector could expand its contribution to between $74 billion and $94 billion within a decade if properly structured.
Drawing global comparisons, he noted that Brazil, the United States, Australia and Uruguay generate billions of dollars annually from beef exports, while Nigeria—with an estimated 20 million cattle—earned only about $172,000 from cow exports in 2024 and less than $200,000 from meat and edible offal exports.
Bala argued that structured ranching would enhance revenue, increase foreign exchange earnings, reduce dependence on imported dairy and meat products, and create jobs across the livestock value chain.
He described ranching as both an economic reform and a national security intervention that would prevent encroachment on farmlands, reduce violent clashes and introduce accountability into livestock management.
He called for inclusive stakeholder engagement involving pastoral associations, farmers’ groups, traditional rulers and civil society organisations, alongside nationwide sensitisation through the
National Orientation Agency and media platforms.
He also advocated clear land tenure policies, infrastructure development and incentive-driven voluntary adoption.
Also speaking, Mukhtar Madobi, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Crisis Communication, said the January 2026 media assessment showed that farmer-herder disputes, especially in the North-Central and parts of the North-West, remained a major trigger of communal clashes.
Madobi added that the review found predominantly positive media visibility for agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigeria Police Force, citing operational performance and enforcement activities.
He emphasised that transparency, measurable results and proactive communication remain critical in shaping public perception within Nigeria’s security and governance landscape.
NAN
