TheCable

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has advised the federal government to take immediate action to address the conflict between farmers and herders in some parts of the country.

There has been an age-long clash between farmers and herders, especially in Nigeria’s arid northern region.

The series of conflicts has led to communal violence, destruction of property, loss of lives, and displacement of many communities.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ consultative forum in Abuja on Thursday, Auwal Rafsanjani, executive director of CISLAC, said the frequent crisis between the farmers and herders may lead to food insecurity in the country.

“We are at risk of food insecurity in Nigeria as a result of the lack of an enabling environment for farmers to grow crops in their farms and produce food to feed the nation,” Rafsanjani said.

“We think it is important for the government to take necessary action around the issue of forced migration which has caused a lot of conflict between herders and farmers and therefore stay away from politics of dealing with this issue of farmers-herders conflict because it has taken lives and deprived so many Nigerians from carrying out their lawful businesses, whether herders or farmers.

“We want the government to take drastic measures against bandits that have been terrorizing farmers and as a result impacted food security in the country.

“We need to make sure that climate change receives the necessary financing and attention to secure this country.”

In March, during the flag-off of the food security and agricultural mechanisation programme in Niger state, President Bola Tinubu implored governors to provide land for grazing in their states to address the protracted farmer-herder crisis in the country.