The senior special assistant to the president on agriculture, Andrew Kwasari, has confirmed that more than 10 states are ready for the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), part of the federal government’s initiative, in collaboration with states under the National Economic Council, to stem ongoing conflicts between farmers and herders.
Kwasari disclosed this at a conference organized by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in Abuja to raise awareness among the people on the NLTP’s implementation.
According to Kwasari, the plan has six pillars encompassing justice, security, livelihood, peace, reconciliation and economic development, and is meant to systematically address the interests of pastoralists and crop farmers.
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“Surveys have gone out; we are clear that surveys around specific grazing reserves are completed for Gombe, Adamawa, Nassarawa, and Plateau,” he said.
“Other states are on line; Taraba will start soon; Niger and Benue have started too, all in conjunction with Food and Agriculture Organization and other partners.
“In other regions, I have seen Anambra, Ebonyi have written and are willing to go ahead. I have also seen Ondo, Ekiti, Edo and almost all the governors believe in the NLTP.’’
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Chris Kwaja, a consultant for the project, said that the purpose of the meeting was to take stock of the current levels of intervention in terms of the conflict between farmers and herders in Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of Idayat Hassan, director for the CDD, Shamsudeen Yusuf, senior programs officer, said that the CDD had carried out research to look at emerging concerns, particularly with regard to the prevalence of banditry, to see how they may be contributing to the farmer-herder conflict.
