PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued a strong directive to herders across the country, urging them to end open grazing, surrender illegal firearms, and transition fully to modern ranching systems as part of the administration’s renewed strategy to tackle insecurity and resolve decades-long farmer–herder conflicts.
In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Wednesday, the President said the Federal Government is “prioritising long-term, sustainable solutions” to violent clashes between farming communities and herders—crises that have devastated parts of the North Central region and contributed to the nation’s broader insecurity challenges.
Tinubu described ranching as the only viable path for livestock development in a modern economy, stressing that open grazing has become incompatible with Nigeria’s security and population realities.
“Ranching is now the path forward for sustainable livestock farming and national harmony,” he said, calling on herder groups to embrace the transition and comply with federal directives.
He also urged herder associations to collaborate with the newly established Ministry of Livestock, which he described as central to the administration’s long-term livestock reform plan.
Against the backdrop of recent attacks and kidnappings in Niger, Kebbi, and parts of the North, Tinubu insisted that all illegal weapons in the hands of non-state actors—especially armed herder groups—must be surrendered.
The President said curbing arms proliferation is key to ending deadly clashes, preventing school kidnappings and restoring peace to rural communities.
Tinubu also called on mosques, churches, and community centres especially in high-risk areas—to strengthen coordination with security operatives to safeguard worshippers during services, gatherings, and religious events.
The President noted that repeated clashes over grazing routes, land use, and water resources have fuelled years of violence, particularly in the Middle Belt, where hundreds have been killed in recurring confrontations.
He said the new livestock policy will protect the interests of both farmers and pastoralists while reducing land-use pressure and eliminating triggers of rural conflict.
As part of the transition plan, Tinubu said the Federal Government—working with state governments—will roll out frameworks for ranch establishment, land allocation, grazing control systems, and interventions to help pastoral communities modernise livestock production.
