Fulani Leaders Seek Ranches, 30% Farm Budget Allocation
Fulani leaders under the Confederation of Pastoralists have called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to allocate 30 per cent of the agricultural budget to the livestock ministry and establish pilot ranches across the six geopolitical zones.
The General Secretary of the Kautal Pulaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria, Abdullahi Ardo, who spoke on behalf of the coalition during an international press conference in Abuja on Sunday, urged the Federal Government to investigate the alleged killings of pastoralists in Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and other states, provide relief materials to displaced victims and ensure their protection against attacks and ethnic profiling.
President Bola Tinubu established the Ministry of Livestock Development in 2024 to address persistent farmer-herder conflicts through ranching, pasture development and improved infrastructure
The ministry is also aimed at transforming Nigeria’s livestock sector from traditional subsistence farming into a modern, commercial and globally competitive industry.
Speaking on Sunday, Ardo stated, “We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for creating the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development – a historic decision that gave us hope after 60 years of agitation. However, years later, the ministry remains largely unfunded and without a clear operational framework.
“We are appealing for the Ministry of Livestock Development to be active at the community level so that it can achieve its set goals.
“We call on the President and the National Assembly to allocate at least 30 per cent of the agricultural budget to the ministry, immediately gazette and protect the 417 grazing reserves, start pilot ranches and fodder production in the six geopolitical zones.”
The leaders described livestock as a N30tn economy which cannot be treated with levity.
The Fulani leaders urged Tinubu to convene a national dialogue to address farmer-herder conflicts, which they said had claimed more than 20,000 lives in 10 years.
They said the dialogue should involve Miyetti Allah groups, religious leaders, traditional rulers, security agencies and state governments, with a focus on justice, compensation and peaceful coexistence.
Ardo added, “With deep pain, we report that in the last few months, hundreds of innocent pastoralists have been killed in coordinated attacks in Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and other parts of the country.
“In many of these attacks, women, children and the elderly were killed, thousands of cattle were rustled or killed, and entire Rugas were burnt down.
“These killings are not reported. There is no national outrage. There is no compensation. There is no justice.
“We demand an independent investigation into these mass killings, that the Federal Government direct NEMA and NCFRMI to provide relief materials to displaced pastoralist victims, as it does for other communities, and that security agencies provide protection to pastoralists as Nigerian citizens under Sections 14 and 33 of the 1999 Constitution.”
The Fulani leaders urged the federal and state governments, traditional rulers, farmers’ groups, security agencies and development partners to collaborate on lasting solutions to farmer-herder conflicts.
They called for equal access to justice, inclusive security and development, and peaceful coexistence, urging Nigerians to embrace dialogue and cooperation to promote national development.
