Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that 22 states have embraced ranching through the National Livestock Transformation Programme of the Nigerian government.
Osinbajo made the disclosure while speaking at the opening of an international conference on Patriotism, Security, Governance and National Development organised by the Global Patriot Newspaper in collaboration with the Nigerian Consulate in New York and Nigeria in Diaspora Organisation, New Jersey Chapter.
According to him, ranches were being piloted in Adamawa, Nasarawa Plateau and Gombe states.
He also called for the establishment of state police as one of the ways of addressing the nation’s security challenges, stressing that all stakeholders must accept the fact that there is a need to decentralize the police force.
Osinbajo said, “We must accept that there is a need for greater decentralization of the police force. I have been a frequent advocate of state policing and I believe this certainly must be the way we must go.
“The National Assembly is in a position to consider some of the proposals that have gone to them for the purposes of devolving more powers to the states for security purposes and for addressing the security challenges.
“On the crisis between farmers and herders, the NLTP is a comprehensive strategy for addressing farmer/herder conflict essentially by encouraging interested states to establish cattle ranches.
“The crucial point here is that no community or state is compelled in any shape or form to give land for ranching. Ranching is essentially a business. NLTP is not a land grab in any way. Every state is completely responsible for its land. The Federal Government cannot go to any state and take any land.
“Already 22 states have indicated interest and pilots, with the support of the Netherlands government, are ongoing in four states of Adamawa, Nasarawa, Plateau and Gombe.
“If we are able to execute the NLPT, we will be able to see an end to the farmer-herder conflict because the goal is to make livestock breeders more sedentary and derive more financial benefits.”
