By Comr. Ibrahim Bashir Onakpa.
Comr. Ibrahim Bashir Onakpa.
Earlier before the oil boom, Nigeria has been a great country with agriculture as the only source of income. And that is still possible if the necessary policy are been initiated or executed.
We all are abreast of happenings over the years, We have been recording different ugly stories and incessant attacks from Fulani herdsman known with pastoral nomadism as major occupation.
Nigeria Farmers who are mainly focused on crop production has been having clashes with the herdsmen without recourse to the disturbance and damage on their expensive crops.
Herdsmen
Aside from damaging Nigeria farmers crops cultivated, the fertility in land loses its value, nutrient in good quantum. Because, after parading their animals on farmland , the soil become stiff yielding to gully erosion or running water on the soil. Without assistance of rocket science , we all can never evade the immeasurable lives claimed by the herdsmen and the lives of the herdsmen claimed by aggrieved farmers in return.
In fact, many Nigerians Youth are not graduate and even the good numbers of graduated ones out there lacked Job. This has engendered so many people into farming to sustain themselves and their family.
Why will another man – political officer deny you of your daily bread, and You will struggle for his survival in office ? And to curb this problem; Those in public offices(Political leaders) should provide large hectares of land for grazing of the cattle’s and cows (Cattle Ranch) without obstructing the farming in the country.
This may seems so wild, but achievable. We may think of were to get this land with so many questions like (1) whose land will the government use?
(2) How will it be possible to revoke land since every land in the country has owners.
However I am telling my esteemed readers, Nigerians that, one eye must close for another to sip water. The herdsmen can never be evicted from the country. And farmers can’t stop farming because of herdsmen. Consequently, both have to be placed on how to live without disturbance or havoc from another.
There are vacant land in almost every part of the country. And if we can recall; section 1 of the land use Act regulating Nigeria’s ownership of land and it’s effective uses vested ultimate power and ownership in the government.
Section 28 of same constitution provided the government the right to revoke individual interest for overriding public interest.
Section 28 sub section 2 of the same constitution provided that; Government should pay compensation to owners of land after revoking their individual ownership.
This invariably mean that: Government should compensate some owners of land with a huge amount of money worth the land subjecting to revocation for the use by herdsmen.
So many people will give out their land if the government is ready to pay. And for the purpose of dispute resolution between these two parties, we can now conclude that; a particular area should be set aside for grazing by the government.
This will go a long way of not prompting the herdsmen into moving from the Northern to southern part irrespective of the quality pastures.
A closed mouth is a closed destiny. We must not ask how the government will do it. You are part of the government as much as I am.
We must not fail to express our views out in any way or by any means or you take part, as a young an ebullient youth full of initiative, contest in an election to be voted into government to put this wrong right. Because evil thrives, when the good ones are not doing anything.
I have much to say !
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