How we used 'traditional methods' to prevent farmers/herdsmen crisis - Osun government
- The commissioner of special duties in Osun state has given an insight on how the state resolves crisis between farmers and herders
- Mudashiru Toogun said the state makes use of traditional methods to solve problems arising from these clashes
- He said no single death has been recorded from herders/farmers clash in the state
The Osun state government has revealed how clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the state are prevented. It disclosed that it has arbitrated in about 6,000 cases between the two groups between 2014 and 2018.
Speaking on the cases, the commissioner for special duties, Mudashiru Toogun, said no death has been recorded as a result of conflicts arising from such crisis.
Toogun, who is also the chairman of committee on peaceful coexistence between Fulani/Bororo and crop farmers in the state said the committee deployed the use of 'traditional methods’ to resolve issues between the herdsmen and farmers.
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The commissioner said some of the cases earlier reported to the police and had gone to the court, were later referred to his committee and “amicable resolutions were achieved.”
Toogun said: “Governor Rauf Aregbesola set up the committee in 2014 even before the herdsmen and farmers clashes became major issues in the country. The committee visited the Fulani settlements across the state and they told us that they needed water and education."
He also said that the state government provided 13 boreholes in various Fulani settlements between 2015 and 2016 while the governor mandated the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to set up schools at the Fulani settlements.
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“When they realised that the government cares for them and that we are very sincere, they were ready to cooperate with us on any issue we present to them. We succeeded in resolving 6,000 cases from 2014 till date.
"The governor has mandated that we must do enumeration of all the animals in this state and we are starting from cows. Every cattle will carry a tag and identity number that will be allocated to it.
"The detail of every cattle in this state will be on a central database of the state which will also contain the full details of the owner of the cattle. This will prevent theft of the cows and enable us to identify invaders.
"In Osun, we do not have problem with the real Fulani herdsmen but some Bororo people are giving us serious problems because they are violent. Such Bororo people usually come from other states and we have been sending them back to wherever they came from," he added.
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Legit.ng earlier reported that governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, has said that he has no regrets for being against the proposal of cattle colonies in states by the federal government.
Governor Wike said he has no apologies for anyone who feels disappointed or hurt by his stand on the proposal.
Wike had said: "I am a proper Rivers man in all ramifications, therefore I owe no one apology for rejecting cattle colony in Rivers state. I will stand by that, whether you are in Abuja or wherever you may be hear me well, I do not owe any body any apology.”
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Source: Legit.ng
