Femi Falana, activist lawyer, on Friday maintained that cattle range remains the panacea to the crises between farmers and Fulani herdsmen across the country.
He spoke while condemning Federal government’s proposed grazing colonies.
Featuring on Channels television Breakfast Programme, Sunrise Daily, Falana said the issue where people take cattle around the country is alien to Nigeria’s culture.
He said ranches once exist in North, West and Southern region of Nigeria and it is an important way of solving the recent herdsmen and farmers clashes in the country.
Falana also berated the Federal Government over the crisis, saying it’s not taking Nigerians seriously over the crisis which has led to the killings of many people in the country.
According to Falana, “I think we are chasing the shadows, as a people and the government is simply parading Nigerians as a bunch of jokers. It is not rocket science to solve this problem.
“I am bothered when leaders come out to make statements that give the impression that we are either out to cover up serious criminality. The killing of any human being in any part of the world is a serious matter.
“We have been in this problem for five years running and nobody is addressing the problems. In 2012, according to the global terrorism index, 1,229 people were killed. In 2014, we lost about 1,300 people. Benue State alone, between 2013 and 2016, lost about 1,800 people.
“This government knew this problem before it came on board. It was part of its campaign. The government has to take Nigerians serious.
“In 1951 we had the first cattle ranch in Nigeria, in Obudu Calabar. Now it’s been converted into Obudu holiday resort. Ahmadu Bello regime in the north established the Mokwa ranch. The Obafemi Awolowo regime in the West in the 50’s established the Akunnu ranch, now in Ondo State.
“This was not our culture. Where people take cattle around the country, it is not our culture, it is a recent phenomenon. No animal was destroying anybody’s farm, until recently.
“Nobody will be wasting his time enacting anti-open grazing law if we have ranches. We don’t need to go far to learn how to keep an animal in this country. Taking cattle from Sokoto to Lagos, grazing is primitive.”
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