Posted by The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has just announced the suspension of open-grazing of cattle as part of his pledge to reestablish Abuja’s status as the Federal Capital Territory.
Putting Abuja on the global map has been a goal of several earlier initiatives.
Dung from animals is dumped all over the city, creating an offensive odor and an unsightly sight that attracts flies that spread disease.
The risks associated with unrestrained open grazing, not just in the FCT, cannot be overstated.
Dino Melaye, according to the TWISCOLOADED, once ordered the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Mohammed Bello, to butcher cows found in the city center as part of his campaign to end the movement of animals in the FCT.
Melaye pointed out that the herdsmen in the Abuja city have kept moving their cattle despite multiple warnings from authorities.
“Honorable Minister, the Senate as an institution is not pleased with the way Fulani herders continue to carry their cows across the city center notwithstanding your directive forbidding this behavior some time ago.
Herdsmen will be fined N50,000 for each cow they are seen with in the heart of the city from now on, therefore arm your men with knives and have them murder any cows they come across in the capital. Melaye emphasized that this directive must be followed.
However, the efforts of the former senator from Kogi and others to put an end to open grazing in the FCT were unsuccessful.
But now Wike has thrown down the challenge.
Only a few short hours after taking office, he vowed, “I will step on toes, the big and mighty; I will step on your toes if you are doing something wrong,” and ordered that herders be allowed to relocate their cattle outside the city, but not on the grasses that are used to enhance the city’s aesthetics.
The question now is how the Minister plans to force the ranchers out of the downtown area without instituting safeguards that would allow them to keep doing business and making a living as lawful residents.
And experts say it will lead to the same kind of catastrophe as when Abuja banned Okada, street hawking, and the demolition of shops without compensating the people who lost their livelihoods.
It’s analogous to doing away with gas tax rebates without talking to anyone or preparing for the consequences.
According to one worried resident, the new FCT Administration faces a “herculean task” if it tries to prevent herdsmen from transporting their cows around the FCT. This calls for careful preparation and engagement with all relevant parties.
When discussing these matters last weekend, the Minister took a more nuanced approach.
We can’t have cows in the city, therefore we’ll have to talk to the herders about how to put an end to open grazing,” Wike explained.
Since the grasses are located beyond the city limits, their location is acceptable. To improve the city’s appearance, grass was planted. They wouldn’t eat something like that. then, “let’s talk about it.”
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) National President Baba Othman Ngelzarma told DAILY POST that he and his organization are eager to meet with the FCT Minister to discuss some of their issues, including the large, ineffective grazing reserves.
The minister has promised to consult the ranchers before making any final decisions. He wouldn’t do anything that would cause someone to later claim they were ignored.
So this is the ideal position for us. We are aware that Abuja is a city and that cows are not permitted to freely roam the streets. This is a major embarrassment. The people here are all quite civilized.
We had several conversations on this during the time of the previous Minister. No cows were allowed to enter the downtown area per our agreement. However, in the sahel, where grazing reserves have not been appropriated by farmers, they are free to roam.
Here in Abuja, farmers have occupied grazing reserves. Someone with Wike’s demeanor is needed to come and put an end to this dispute once and for all.
We have four grazing areas in the Abuja area, but you can’t stop these people from roaming freely until those reserves are developed and stocked with other resources.
Since the Federal Capital was relocated there, the city of Abuja was turned into a grazing reserve. However, this does not give them the legal right to leave the city proper, which is the Federal Capital Territory and the source of every Nigerian’s pride.
This is the deal we made with the previous minister. However, they are free to roam rural areas where farmers are slowly but surely encroaching on undeveloped grazing reserves that contain no forage.
To put it another way, “we know that Wike is a gentle man and that he understands the dynamics, and that this will give us the opportunity for the grazing reserves to be developed,” which is why we want to communicate with Wike himself.
And we’re confident that Wike will create them. Our grazing grounds will be recovered and improved by him. Our hearts’ desire is to speak with him. We need to talk to him about how to go about tracking down these issues. We’re aware that having cows wander around the city is a major no-no.
But keep in mind that not all city cows are owned by local pastoralists. Even if some of these cows belong to wealthy city residents who have hired pastoralists to care for them, the fact remains that they have no business being free to roam the city proper.
However, pastoralists must be taken into account because grazing reserves have not yet been formed. They have designated grazing areas, but the land has not been used for anything else.
There is no available water, grazing land, or other infrastructure. They should be improved for the welfare of herders and for the purpose of equity.
“Wike is a name we recognize. He is the kind of person that will come back and improve our grazing land for us because he is aggressive and has the right attitude for the work. He announced, “We are prepared to meet with him whenever he invites us in order to resolve this issue once and for all.
Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a sibling organization to MACBAN, takes a slightly different perspective on cow movement in the FCT or any other city in the country.
Saleh Alhassan Kubah, the National Secretary of the group, told our correspondent that the cows can graze freely across the north and that no one can stop them.
He thinks the ex-governor of Rivers State should stop talking about cows and start talking about how to improve the metropolis of Abuja.
It would be pointless, he added, to remove herders from the FCT until the government could provide grazing sites for cattle, and most of the cows in Abuja already belonged to the city’s elites anyhow.
Asking, “Where can I find grazing land in Abuja?” Will they graze within the structure? The problem is that Wike really doesn’t matter. Ortom has been here and gone before.
We don’t want to hire Wike because he needs to drink ‘Ogogoro’ [alcoholic drink] every morning before he can function at work.
What, you haven’t heard that before? As he put it, himself. So, let him provide those services in the FCT. We eagerly anticipate his future achievements. I can’t criticize him because he’s working for our party, as you well know.
He leads our church. Thus, I have no interest in starting a confrontation with our minister. Since there is nowhere for the animals to graze in Abuja, this is of little importance.
He’ll figure up a method to get the elite’s cattle, which is why you see them all over the place. We have no obligation to respond to Wike. Let him handle the huge, deserted structures.
Let him get his tax money from all those empty homes. Allow him to build up the city. The Gwari people, a native population, have been neglected for too long; let him help them.
He is an Ikwerre man originally from Port Harcourt. He’s familiar with local customs in Port Harcourt. He’ll know how to handle the Gwari if they act even 10% like the Ikwerre do in Port Harcourt. Let him build up the outlying settlements and provide services to them. Strength is fleeting.
Whatever the case may be, he’ll be gone very soon. To argue with him is futile. Nothing we tell him will be fresh to him. As a person, he craves focus. Is there any pasture near the Villa for the horses to use?
“Or is it that people just don’t like seeing cows?” Aren’t cows the crowning glory of the Northern landscape? Is it not incongruous that you want to eat cows yet have no interest in seeing them?
What you’ll witness is a catastrophe brought on by the spirits of the land if there are no cows in the northern geography. Because the spirits require the cows to move about, the ground will be unstable. Because that’s just how the world is around them.
The cows will not be deterred by him. Who will be responsible for removing the cattle from the northern territory? They are immune to pursuit. This is not going anywhere.
Let him cancel the FCT land contracts; there’s no use in extending their deadline. I was anticipating an immediate revocation on his part.
No grazing land is allocated for the Federal Capital Territory or the AMAC local council in the Abuja development plan.
Let him deal with the safety concerns plaguing Abuja. We are not, and never will be, any of his concern.
And in an interview with DAILY POST, Hajiya Umma Abubakar, director of Animal Husbandry Services at the Agricultural and Rural Development, FCT, detailed the initiatives already underway to provide adequate living conditions for the herders.
She claims that the purpose of creating Grazing Reserves is to give the Fulani people a new home while also allowing them to carry out livestock operations on par with the best in the world.
She claims that preparations have been made to transform Abuja’s four grazing grounds into thriving economic centers for local herders and their families.
She stated that both the FCT Minister and the FCT Minister of State are enthusiastic about the prospect of herders relocating to the nation’s capital.
She said, “To address the issues of compensation and bringing an end to the endless clashes between the Fulani and the local communities, the Secretariat embarked on a comprehensive enumeration exercise to identify the genuine inhabitants that will be compensated to ensure that no member of the community is left out.
Special Agricultural Processing Zone (SAPZ) Project, co-funded by the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), will undoubtedly supplement the FCT Administration’s aim in developing the grazing reserves.
“I can assure you that the SAPZ Project is going to address the issue of open grazing because one of its components, which is called Agriculture Transformation Centres (ATC), focuses on building the capacities of all the groups in various facets of the Livestock value chains, such as the production of high-quality feeds and the processing of milk.
To prevent animals from having to be taken outside of the reserves to be fattened, water will be made available at the centers.
She went on to explain that the government plans to profile new and elderly Fulani herdsmen on a regular basis in order to distinguish between local herders and migrant herders, especially those from outside the country.
“We are collaborating with security agencies and communities that have first-hand knowledge of those who are involved in legitimate activities and pose no threat to society,”
Director: “We are working closely with the host communities on the need for peaceful co-existence,” addressing the issue of persistent resistance from some host groups who are against the development of the grazing reserves.
We’ve been working with these communities to raise awareness of how reserve expansion will benefit everyone.
Not only Fulani are involved in livestock activity. Similarly, crop growers can benefit from the byproducts of cattle as manures while also engaging in multiple production activities, such as livestock feed.
“The Honourable Minister of the FCT’s plan to meet with all the stakeholders would inject new life into the pursuit of the goal.
The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory has also promised her full cooperation in carrying out and enhancing the development plans for Abuja’s four grazing reserves.