The Nigerian Senate has adopted Senator Henry Seriake Dickson’s call for the Federal Government to provide funding for the establishment of ranches nationwide.
This decision, reached during a debate on Tuesday, seeks to address the recurring clashes between herders and farmers. The initiative involves collaboration with states, local governments, and private businesses to create a sustainable solution.
Senator Dickson, representing Bayelsa West, emphasized the importance of regulating animal husbandry, describing it as “a legal business.”
He urged the Senate to take advantage of the newly established Ministry of Livestock to develop a comprehensive policy.
“Let us mandate them to interact with the executive and come up with a proposal for nationwide ranching as a legal business,” Dickson said.
He also highlighted the economic plight of herders, stating, “These herdsmen are actually victims of the economic situation as well, carrying cattle from Sokoto State and trekking to Bayelsa, Lagos, and other states.”
According to him, the Senate’s Committees on National Security and Agriculture should work with relevant ministries to create a proposal for the establishment of modern ranches that would provide safety and economic viability for both herders and local communities.
He suggested that funding for such ranches could be sourced through loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Recalling his tenure as Governor of Bayelsa State, Dickson noted that he implemented a similar ranching policy over a decade ago.
He explained that herders in Bayelsa were assigned a designated area within Bayelsa Palms, where “there was water, an abattoir, veterinary services, a cattle market, and grasses for the animals.”
Dickson also pointed out that the policy became law in Bayelsa, ensuring that herders and their animals operated within regulated environments.
He stressed that while the Constitution allows for freedom of movement, such freedoms should not undermine the need for order and regulation.
The debate followed a motion by Senator Anthony Yaro, who raised concerns about bandit attacks in Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State, where homes were burned, lives were lost, and food and livestock were destroyed.
Senator Abdul Ningi questioned the effectiveness of security votes allocated to governors, while Senator Titus Zam emphasized the need for long-term solutions to herder-farmer conflicts.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole called for laws to regulate the cross-border movement of cattle under the ECOWAS treaty.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio put Senator Dickson’s proposal to a vote, and it was adopted without opposition.