How we resolved farmers, herders conflicts in Yobe

Conflicts between farmers and pastoralists have remained a recurrent phenomenon in Nigeria due to the nomadic lifestyle of livestock rearers in the country. What is Yobe State doing to check this ugly trend?This is one area of interest in which we have recorded tremendous achievement, substantially resolving farmer/pastoralist grazer conflicts in Yobe State. The PLDP […]

Conflicts between farmers and pastoralists have remained a recurrent phenomenon in Nigeria due to the nomadic lifestyle of livestock rearers in the country. What is Yobe State doing to check this ugly trend?
This is one area of interest in which we have recorded tremendous achievement, substantially resolving farmer/pastoralist grazer conflicts in Yobe State. The PLDP has demarcated and beaconed over 980 kilometers of primary and secondary stock routes to facilitate movement of livestock without encroaching on farmlands. We have demarcated 130km cattle route from Ngelzarma to Badegana, 50km Jakusko to Gogaram, 42km Nguru to Gumsi and 96km Kalalawa to Ngelzarma. Similarly, 105km cattle route was demarcated from Dogon Kuka to Ngalda, Sasawa to Goniri 100km,Goniri to Njibulwa 108km.  So also, 90km Dapchi to Girgir, 120km Babbangida to Jajere, 70km from Yusufari to Garin Alkali and 40km from Dapchi to Geidam among others.
It is also important to note that Yobe government has provided water facilities on these cattle routes for use by the livestock communities across the state. We have also constituted special monitoring team for periodic supervision of the cattle routes to ensure that farmers do not encroach on the routes while livestock farmers do not encroach on farmlands. I am happy this is working and has perfectly resolved farmer/pastoralist grazer conflicts across the state.
Lack of feeds for animals is another problem precipitating conflict between farmers and herders, what are you doing to help the nomads and discourage migration?
Food scarcity for the animals has been partly responsible for migration and encroachment on farmlands by livestock farmers.  But I am happy to say that Yobe is one of the states with highest number of gazetted grazing reserves in the nation. The state government, through the Pilot Livestock Development Programme has developed grazing reserves in Dilawa, Gumsi, Gujba, Jakusko/Nasari, Tarjem, Alagarno/Mashio, Gumsa among others and provided water facilities to the grazing communities which contributed in curtailing possible encroachment on farms while in search of pasture and water.
This cropping season, the programme cultivated a total of 24 hectares of land comprising of four hectares each in Gujba cattle range in Gujba local government, Tarajum in Nangere local government, LIBC Nguru, Jakusko/Nazari in Jakusko local government, Gumsa  in Geidam and Alagarno in Fune LGA. We cultivated ‘stylothensis guanensis’ and ‘centrosema pubensens’ grasses in the six locations listed above, which proved to be most suitable for the state’s climatic condition.
The programme has also distributed free seeds to encourage individual farmers to engage in irrigation cultivation of the grasses to enhance feeds for their animals because; there are heartwarming reports indicating healthy growth, improved beef and dairy production in animals that consume the grasses. We intend to engage and train three livestock farmers in each of the 17 local government areas by next year who will in turn go back to train others in the remote localities.
How are you addressing issues relating to diseases affecting animals?
It was in realization of the fact that Yobe State is leading in livestock population and production in Nigeria that when this administration came on board in 2007, it deemed it fit and necessary to resuscitate the dormant Pilot Livestock Development Project when the World Bank pulled out. Government started with appointing substantive general manager, rehabilitation of the programme headquarters office, procurement of working tools, project vehicles, drugs and also provided sustainable funds among others to ensure effective monitoring of animal disease, surveillance of disease outbreaks for timely response.  
Yobe shares long border lines with other neighbouring states as well as Niger Republic. The cross boundary nomadic livestock husbandry practice makes the livestock vulnerable to diseases. This administration in its wisdom found it expedient to embark on annual mass vaccination of livestock across the state against the  Trans Boundary Animal Diseases (TADs); Contagious Bovine Pleuro Pneumonia (CBPP), Peste de Petits Ruminantes (PPR), etc to promote the health of the animals, enrich beef and dairy production, thereby boosting the economy of livestock farmers in the state.
From 2009 to date, we have vaccinated over 4.5 million animals. We are presently working on a target of 1.7 million cattle, sheep, goat and dogs for the 2013 mass vaccination exercise. Over 800,000 herds of cattle are to be vaccinated against CBPP and Black Quarter (BQ) while, 900, 000 sheep and goats will be vaccinated against PPR and 2, 500 dogs would be vaccinated against rabies. We have already procured N7 million worth of vaccines and drugs for the exercise.
What is the level of cooperation received from these livestock farmers to participate in the mass vaccination exercise?
 It has been so wonderful and encouraging because we work in conjunction with all stakeholders to sensitise the farmers for full participation. This year, we constituted a livestock stakeholders committee on vaccination exercise comprising of all key players. The committees consist of chairmen of local government councils, zonal veterinary officers, area veterinary officers, heads of agriculture of the local government councils and veterinary supervisors; traditional rulers, leaders of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association and security officials in each of the 17 local government areas as members. The committees were mandated to mobilize, identify and establish vaccination camps in the remote areas to ensure that all livestock farmers are covered.

The committees are also expected to reach out to all herdsmen in the remote areas through local markets, water points and all other necessary avenues for accessibility.
I am glad to say that this is an all inclusive approach which has contributed immensely to mass participation of farmers in the exercise. Most importantly, we issue out livestock vaccination certificates to those who participated to help us trace with ease those who have not participated in the exercise.
How far have you gone in the training of your staff?
 Government has placed a lot of concern on training and provision of drugs and equipment for effective disease surveillance and control in the state. I am happy to inform you that some staff recently went on training course in ultrasonography in large animals and small animals in Poland.  They had the opportunity of being exposed to state-of-the-art equipment. We are proud of having three ultrasound specialists in Yobe State.
After this training, we realized the colossal rate of fetus loss in animals slaughtered with early stages of pregnancy in some of our abattoirs. Records have shown that about 15 per cent of animals slaughtered in the state were pregnant with the embryo reaching advanced stages due to lack of ultrasound scanning machine. Our veterinary doctors who went to Poland received additional training on modern techniques of detecting pregnancy in the first 28 days and the gender in 45 days.