Baring any last minute change, Oyo state government will before the end of the outgoing tenure sign into law, a bill that will forestall the age long clashes between herders and farmers in different parts of the state.
Assuring that the law would be passed before April 30, the state government said its effort at ensuring peace between the duo of farmers and herders through a regular stakeholders meeting is yielding positive result.
The government spoke through the Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Community Relations, Mr Abidemi Siyanbade during a stakeholders meeting organised by the state Police Command at its Eleyele, Ibadan, headquarters as parts of the Command’s efforts at facilitating peaceful deliberations between farmers and herders in the state.
Siyanbade said “The government has made a lot of progress in dousing the incessant conflict between the farmers and herders in this state.
“And before the end of this month, grazing control bill to address the issues between farmers and herders will be passed by the house of assembly.
“We will also ensure that the peace committee meeting at the local government levels will be revived.
“The grazing control law will address how cattle can be brought into the state and how herders will register. We will no longer allow cows to me moved into the state on the feet or roaming but through vehicles and truck.
Local herders are not the problem, but the major and the imminent problem is with immigrant herders. We are very sure that once this law is passed, all these issues arising from farm invasions, cattle rustling and attack on either farmers and herders will all be laid to rest.”
The state Commissioner of Police Shina Olukolu in his welcome remark identified certain issues that had contributed to the crisis to include, mutual suspicion between farmers and herders, impatience, the roles of mischief makers among others.
He condemned the use of minors as shepherds and warned that both the farmers and herders must not let the long standing relationship between them be sacrifice on the basis of their means of livelihood.
Olukolu said, “The use of minors who have no ability to control the animals, gives room for the animals to unwittingly stray into farmers land to wreak havoc.
“Sometimes, the minors deliberately allow the cattle stray into farm lands and at other times, it goes beyond their control but we need patience and understanding to have lasting peace.”
However, the State Chairman, All farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Adeniji Moses lamented that the bill has been promised since 2016 and nothing has been done about it.
He assured that the promised legislation had remained the only hope of a lasting solution on the issue of recurring crisis between the farmers and the herders.
The state chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Yakubu Bello commended the Oyo state police for organising stakeholders’ meeting, noting that the bane of the problem had been the impatience on the part of both parties anytime issues arises.
Also speaking, the state chairman, Police Community Relations Committee, Mr Peter Omofaye assured that effective community policing is the surest way to help both the farmers and herdsmen identify the bad eggs causing trouble in the affected parts of the state.
He appealed to all the stakeholders at the meeting to work together with the police but making information available to nip issues in the bud before it turned out into crisis.
The meeting was attended by farmers, herders, community leaders, religious leaders, council chairmen among others.
