KACRAN appeals to Tinubu to end exclusion of pastoralists from policies, programmes

The Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to end the exclusion of pastoralists in the government’s policies and programmes.

The association in a statement on Tuesday by its National President, Hon Khalil Mohd Bello, said: “It is extremely sad and highly pitiable to note that, if there is any group of people who are doing their best day and night in contributing tremendously towards the provision of nutritional food to our beloved Nigerians and in the country’s domestic income through payments of multiple taxes but are almost forgotten or totally side lined in terms of adequate inclusion in nearly all government’s policies and programmes, it is the nation’s pastoralists.”

Bello claimed that the above statement was strongly affirmed by the former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, stressing that “he even promised to lead a struggle that will provide justice and fairness to Nigeria’s herders whom he admitted had been totally ignored by the previous governments.”

He recalled that apart from the immediate past senate president’s support, “we could recall that even Audu Ogbe the former Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, severally stated that Nigeria’s pastoralists and their pastoral occupation was for over fifty years neglected by our past administrations.

“In addition to this, even the immediate past Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Muhammad Muhamood Abubakar, boldly and courageously disclosed during the last year’s Regional Agricultural Summit organized in Abuja by his ministry under the colourful/successful coordination of the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ernest Umakhihe and Director Animal Husbandry Services, Winnie Lai-Solarin that, the Nigeria’s pastoralists and pastoralism in general are not receiving much desired governments’ attention, which he described as very unfortunate but must be addressed.

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“The Minister, out of passion and humility added that, he observed painfully that, government’s attention is always tilted towards promoting arable farming to the detriment of livestock and fisheries sectors.”

He added that: “While delivering his speech at the conference where delegates from Niger, Tchad, Cameroon, and Benin Republics, Umma Abubakar, Director Animal Husbandry Services Agricultural and Rural Services of the FCT, KACRAN, GAFDAN and representatives of other Pastoralists Associations were in attendance, he emphasized the need for the plight of the pastoralists to be looked into while executing government policies and programmes.”

Bello said KACRAN noticed sorrowfully that, the major reason for the exclusion of pastoralists in the government’s policies and programmes was due to the fact that the government’s attention is always on the execution of elephant projects such as the construction of roads, bridges, offices, houses, solar energy, development of arable farming, etc which have nothing to do with genuine livestock development, which is the bedrock for the provision of nutritional food and additional income to the country.

He added that: “The most painful of all is till now, even though both the federal executive and the legislative arms of government agreed on the marginalization of livestock sector as evidently heard from the former Senate President and former Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development, no concrete stand or measure has been taken to address the anomaly.

“At this juncture, we want to express our deepest concern that, even though pastoralists are the most affected by the negative impact of total oil subsidy removal which resulted in the formation of various committees by Mr President to come up with recommendations/suggestions on how government would intervene to ameliorating the negative effects of the hardship brought by the removal, we are quite sure that members of the committees under reference have nothing like herders inclusiveness in their expected suggestions to Mr President.

“What KACRAN is expecting at the end of their two week assignment is coming up with elitist plans on how government will introduce palliative measures to Nigerians mainly residing in the cities and urban areas or what the new minimum wage is supposed to be, but as we stated earlier, nothing at all will be included for herders immediate benefit as if we are not Nigerians.

He therefore appealed to President Bola Tinubu to kindly end the exclusion of pastoralists in government’s policies and programmes, by making adequate budgetary provision in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Directorate of Animal Husbandry Services and Rural Development, FCT aimed at developing livestock in Nigeria.

“Finally, we ardently and respectfully call on our beloved and highly respected president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to please make strong provision/arrangement through the Directorate of Animal Husbandry Services of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to be distributed monthly or quarterly by the said Directorate as palliative to Nigeria’s herders. Because, this is the only way the nation’s pastoralists will be among the beneficiaries of President Tinubu-led good administration’s gestures.”