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FG embarks on grazing routes recovery
By Modupe Shodeinde
The federal government has embarked on a process of identifying monuments along grazing routes in order to get them back as locations for cattle grazing.
The Punch reports that in spite of the overwhelming outcry against the plan to retrace and recover grazing routes across the country, the Federal Government is not showing signs of relenting.
In an interview with Punch, officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Friday said the routes’ recovery would go on.
They, however, said it would be done mainly in non-conflict zones.
The acting Director, Animal Husbandry Department, FMARD, Winnie Lai-Solarin, stated that while cattle ranching had been one of the major options canvassed for herders, not every pastoralist would be able to afford ranching at the moment.
She said, “There are some stock routes that we have across the country, and in the past, we had monuments along these stock routes, particularly the primary stock routes.
“And in the course of farming or other human activities along those stock routes, the monuments were altered, but we know where they are. So we are saying that some of them can be retraced.
“And this is particularly for areas that are not encroached upon as of now. The pastoralists know the routes, and on some of those routes, you will see the pieces of the monuments along them.”
Lai-Solarin added, “So for those that are not encroached upon and are not in conflict zones, we will go ahead to retrace and guide the pastoralists along them. We didn’t get to where we are today in one day and so we cannot expect that every pastoralist should suddenly start ranching now.
“Some would still have to move but let’s keep the movement as safe as possible and in areas that are not conflict zones. That is what I am saying. We are not going to retrace stock routes where there are infrastructures that are for the public good.”
Another official who asked not to be named said there was a need to create safe places for herders to graze their cattle and eliminate the need to travel on the roads.
The official explained that their are primary, secondary stock routes, and in some cases, tertiary stock routes.
“The primary stock routes are the major routes that run in a North-to-South direction from the Sahel to the coastal market.
“And then, there are some major routes that run inter-state from the North, while others run intra-state.”
President Muhammadu Buhari during a recent interview with Arise Television, supported open grazing.
The President said he had asked the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to begin the process of recovering land from persons who have converted cattle grazing routes for their personal use .
The AGF had kicked against the declaration by 17 Southern Governors to ban open grazing, noting that it is like Northern Governors banning spare parts trading.
