Sokoto State Governor, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has advised the Federal Government to establish grazing reserves for Fulani herdsmen only in the North.
Speaking during a one-day working visit to Abia, he said “I am a Fulani man from Sokoto, and I have cattle, I know that it is better for me to rear and keep my herds in one place and provide good grass for them.”
“Talking about South-East and northern Nigeria relationship, this issue of herdsmen that has been coming up recently, I believe Federal Government is coming up with a measured response of ensuring that we have grazing reserves, particularly with emphasis in northern Nigeria.”
“In states where they originate from, so that they can remain within their neighbourhood, within their families and cater for their cattle in a much more better way, much more organized way and much more economically viable system.
“By having a grazing reserve in Sokoto State for instance, all herdsmen and herds farmers in Sokoto can graze within Sokoto State environment without moving their herds out.”
“We in the northern states in particularly have embraced this very proactive measure of establishing grazing reserves in the north so that the herdsmen and their herds can remain at home in their environment.”
“That will give us better meat, better milk and for the people of Sokoto and Aba leather for making shoes and other leather works”, he stated.
Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, recently said any plan to establish grazing reserves for the Fulani herdsmen will be frustrated in the South-East because there is no land space in the zone for such.
“We don’t need grazing reserves in the South East, because we don’t have land space for it. There are enough land in the North, so let the establishment of grazing reserves be in the north,” he said