Fulani Leaders Demand Ranches, 30% Of Agriculture Budget

Fulani pastoralist leaders have called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to allocate at least 30 per cent of the agricultural budget to the Ministry of Livestock Development and establish pilot ranches across the six geopolitical zones.

The leaders also urged the Federal Government to protect the country’s 417 grazing reserves and investigate the alleged killings of pastoralists in Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and other states.

The demands were made by the Confederation of Pastoralist Non-Governmental Organisations and the Kautal Pulaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria during an international press conference in Abuja on Sunday.

The General Secretary of the association, Abdullahi Ardo, who spoke on behalf of the coalition, said the livestock ministry remained largely underfunded and lacked a clear operational framework despite its establishment in 2024.

Ardo commended Tinubu for creating the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, describing the move as a significant step towards addressing the longstanding challenges facing pastoralists.

He, however, called for the ministry to become more active at the community level to ensure that its programmes benefit livestock farmers across the country.

The coalition also called for the immediate gazetting and protection of the 417 grazing reserves, alongside the establishment of pilot ranches and fodder production facilities across the six geopolitical zones.

The leaders described livestock as a ₦30 trillion economy and said the sector required adequate government funding and infrastructure to reach its potential.

They argued that improved livestock management, access to grazing facilities and the development of ranches could help modernise the sector and address some of the challenges contributing to farmer-herder conflicts.

The coalition also called on Tinubu to convene a national dialogue involving pastoralist groups, farmers, religious leaders, traditional rulers, security agencies and state governments.

According to the leaders, the proposed dialogue should focus on justice, compensation for victims, improved security and peaceful coexistence between farming and pastoralist communities.

Ardo expressed concern over what the group described as the killings of hundreds of pastoralists in recent months across Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and other parts of the country.

He alleged that women, children and elderly people had been killed in the attacks, while thousands of cattle were reportedly rustled or killed and some settlements destroyed.

The coalition called for an independent investigation into the alleged killings and urged the Federal Government to provide relief materials to displaced pastoralists through the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.

The leaders also called on security agencies to protect pastoralists and ensure that suspected criminals were investigated and prosecuted as individuals rather than being associated with an entire ethnic group.

They maintained that pastoralists were Nigerian citizens entitled to equal protection under the law.

The coalition further urged the Federal Government, state governments, farmers’ organisations, traditional rulers and development partners to work together to address the causes of recurring clashes.

The leaders said a lasting solution would require dialogue, justice, security and cooperation among the affected communities, adding that both farmers and pastoralists should respect one another’s rights and property.

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