At last, Tinubu breaks silence on killer herdsmen

…says ‘they’re fighting losing battle against modernity, climate change’

All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, on Saturday, broke his deafening silence on the raging violence by herdsmen across the country, saying they’re fighting a losing battle against modernity and climate change.

Tinubu, however, threw his weight behind the ranching system as a panacea to the frequent perennial herdsmen-farmers’ clashes across the country.

The APC national leader, in a statement titled, ‘Tinubu’s Statement On The Herder Crisis,’ warned that nomadic herders in the country must realise that they are fighting a “losing battle against modernity and climate change”, advising them to embrace a ‘sedentary’ mode of cattle-rearing.

He also expressed regret that those who should know better had been fueling the farmers/herders’ clashes in the country.

Lately, herdsmen in parts of the country, especially in the South-West geopolitical zone, have been fingered to be behind various criminal activities, including kidnapping for ransoms and killings, especially of farmers and travellers. Some herdsmen have also been accused of raping women in host communities, kidnapping the rich and in some cases, killing host residents, among other heinous crimes.

Some Yoruba leaders, including Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, had accused Tinubu of shying away from speaking on the herders’ crisis in order not to draw the ire of President Muhammadu Buhari and jeopardise his 2023 presidential ambition.

But the APC national leader spoke up on the matter on Saturday.

According to him, “The herder-farmer dispute has taken on acute and violent dimensions. It has cost too many innocent lives while destroying the property and livelihoods of many others. It has also aggravated ethnic sentiment and political tension.

“Despite the efforts of some of those in positions of high responsibility and public trust, the crisis has not significantly abated. Sadly, others who should know better have incited matters by tossing about hate-tainted statements that fall dangerously short of the leadership these people claim to provide. We all must get hold of our better selves to treat this matter with the sobriety it requires.

“What is happening has been terrible…We do both herder and farmer grave injustice by allowing the herder to continue as he is – fighting a losing battle against modernity and climate change. In that fight, desperation causes him to flail and fight the farmer, who too is a victim of these impersonal forces.”

He, however, stated that both innocent and law-abiding farmers and herders need to be paid some compensations for the losses they have suffered.

“Both need further assistance to break the current cycle of violence and poverty,” he said.

Tinubu, therefore, called on the Federal Government to convene a meeting of state governors, senior security officials, herders and farmers’ representatives, along with traditional rulers and religious leaders, adding, “The purpose of this meeting would be to hammer out a set of working principles to resolve the crisis.”

He advised that the meeting must come up with policies that will help, amongst other things, the herders to transform to a more sedentary method of cattle-rearing.

Tinubu said, “Help the herders’ transition to more sedentary but more profitable methods of cattle-rearing. Unoccupied public land can be fenced into grazing areas or ranches and leased to herders on a very low-cost, nominal basis. The leasing is not intended to penalise herders.

“Rather, the nominal fee is intended to ensure the herders are invested in the project and incentivized (by reason of their investment) to use the land provided.

“This aspect will also mitigate any resentment over herders being given land for free. Government, in turn, being a responsible lessor, must help with supplemental feed and water in these areas. This will enable herders to better maintain and care for their livestock thus enhancing their incomes.”

He added that the meeting should resolve to “assist farmers increase productivity by supporting or providing subvention for their acquisition of fertilizer, equipment and machinery and, also, by establishing commodity boards to guarantee minimum prices for important crops”.