The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations in Katsina State has called on Cattle breeders, Farmers, Fulani Herdsmen, and other well-meaning individuals in the state, to appreciate and complement the Federal Government’s efforts, towards finding lasting solutions to the issue of banditry bedeviling the state.
The Chairman of the Coalition, Abdulrahman Abdullahi, made this known in a statement he signed.
Abdullahi was reacting to the recent development, in which the Federal Government released the sum of 6.25 billion Naira to the Katsina State Government, to establish a cattle ranch in the state.
According to the statement, the pilot ranch in Katsina State will be the first step taken, towards addressing the perennial farmers-herders violent conflicts across the country.
The Coalition Chairman further noted that, contrary to some naysayers, the Federal Government’s intervention at this critical point in time will not only de-escalate tension but will also be a pace-setting measure, in transforming livestock management in the country.
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Abdullahi further argued that, since open grazing has become outdated and counter-productive to the economic well-being and peaceful coexistence of Nigeria, the only realistic solution is to embrace modern techniques of livestock keeping, and ranching is one of them.
The coalition, therefore, stated that they are of the view that, to abolish open grazing, without providing an alternative, will only provoke further conflict and instability in the land.
They also called on the public to reciprocate the gesture of the Federal Government by embracing peace and avoiding any act that threatens the security of the lives of the people in the society.
(Editor : Paul Akhagbemhe)
