Cattle Breeders Urge Buhari to Recover Grazing Reserves, End Cattle Rustling

A Fulani community leader, Alhaji Dodo Oroji, has appealed to the incoming administration of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) to address the problems of grazing reserves and stop cattle rustling in order to save Fulani herdsmen in the country.

Oroji made the appeal in an interview on Monday, in Kaduna.

He said it was important to properly tackle the two problems which had resulted in conflicts, avoidable deaths and loss of means of livelihood to hundreds of cattle breeders cross the country.

Oroji advised the government to devise a new policy to settle the herdsmen in one place, so as to maximally tap the economic benefit of their vocation.

“Once you halt cattle breeders from migrating from one country to another in search of food for their animal and families, you not only ensure their safety but also have the opportunity to tap the vast economic benefits from their occupation.”

Oroji said it was important for the Federal Government to provide strategic grazing reserves and social amenities including schools, water and health services across the country, to keep the herders from moving about.

He argued that most herdsmen would prefer to remain in one place if the government would take care of some of their basic problems.