Osita Okechukwu, a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has called for the adoption of modern ranching to resolve the ongoing farmer-herder conflicts that threaten national unity.
He made this appeal in an open commendation letter addressed to the newly inaugurated Livestock Reform Implementation Committee (LRIC), co-chaired by President Bola Tinubu and Professor Attahiru Jega.
Okechukwu, the former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), attributed the dysfunction in many of Nigeria’s food-producing communities and the failure of the costly Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) to the persistent clashes between farmers and herders.
He argued that modern ranching, with its advanced technologies and humane facilities, offers a viable solution.
“President Bola Tinubu and Professor Attahiru Jega, as co-chairmen of the Livestock Reform Implementation Committee, should consider modern ranching as a solution to prevent roaming cattle from destroying crop farms, thereby promoting national unity and prosperity,” Okechukwu stated.
He dismissed the traditional grazing model as outdated and highlighted the benefits of modern ranches, which include features like veterinary clinics, schools, and residential houses, in addition to cattle cages.
These, he noted, will make modern ranching a better alternative.
Okechukwu also commended President Tinubu for seeking a lasting solution to the farmer-herder conflict, which has resulted in high levels of insecurity, loss of lives, poverty, and hunger across Nigeria.
He urged the President to finance the Renewed Hope Livestock Mega Project from the national emergency fund and, if necessary, to seek additional funding through loans. He assured that such investments, if managed prudently, would repay itself.