THE Federal Government, on Tuesday, expressed worry over incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in some sections of the country.
The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who disclosed this on Tuesday, in Abuja, when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, said “Mr President sends me a memo almost every week asking me what we are doing to resolve this (Fulani herdsmen/farmers) crisis.”
The minister spoke at a public hearing on the motion on the “urgent need to address the incessant clashes between herdsmen, farmers and their host communities in Nigeria’ and introduction of micro irrigation (drip irrigation) for farmers in Gombi/Hong Federal Constituency in Adamawa State and in other parts of Nigeria,” organised by House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services.
This is coming just as the Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, who was represented by Honourable Onyema Chukwuka, appealed to the committee and stakeholders to make appropriate recommendations that would “go a long way in guiding the House in the enactment of appropriate legislation that will guarantee peaceful co-existence amongst the rural communities, provide affordable credit to Nigerian farmers, enable the farmers to procure fertilizer and other farm inputs with minimum effort, provide enabling environment for all season farming, ensure increased agricultural production both as a means of guaranteeing internal food security and diversifying the economy from over dependence on oil, amongst many other prospects.”
The minister, who expressed concern over criticism trailing the proposed importation of grasses for cattle, especially on social media, warned that the challenge might boomerang if no concrete action was taken in check mating the menace.
Meanwhile,, the Federal Government has ordered all security agencies in the country to crush and deter all crises that have the potential to breach the peace and national stability.
While it restated that its first priority was to ensure the security of lives and property of the citizenry, government said all socio-economic activities in the country must continue to thrive without any hindrance from criminal elements and terrorists.
Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali, gave the order on Tuesday, in Abuja, at a seminar on “Media Management in Crisis Situation,” for Information Officers of the Military, Security and Response Agencies, which was organised by the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) with support from the Defence Headquarters DHQ, as well as the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP).
Declaring the occasion open, he said, “all security agencies in Nigeria have been called upon to crush and deter the threats of crises and conflicts that have potential to disrupt peace and security of our country.
“Our security and response agencies are constantly engaged in the essential tasks required for meeting the internal security objectives of ensuring safety and security of Nigeria’s territorial integrity, its population and all the critical infrastructure. Our government will not relent in this primary objective,”he pledged.
