• Says Middle Belt, South not dumping grounds for controversial land policies
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed pilot scheme under the New National Livestock Policy, alleging that the initiative could become a vehicle for taking over ancestral lands belonging to communities in the Middle Belt.
The group described the proposed scheme as “spurious”, warning that it could result in the permanent allocation of vast tracts of community land to nomadic Fulani pastoralists.
In a statement signed by Afenifere leader and Chairman of SMBLF, Oba Oladipo Olaitan; President of the Middle Belt Forum, Bitrus Pogu; President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, John Azuta-Mbata; and National Chairman of PANDEF, Godknows Igali, the forum said the proposed pilot areas include Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory.
SMBLF questioned why the proposed experiment was being concentrated largely in the Middle Belt when, according to it, large areas of sparsely populated and unused land exist in parts of the far North.
“It is striking that this experiment is being concentrated almost entirely in the Middle Belt, despite the vast expanses of sparsely populated and unused land available in many parts of the far North,” the group said.
The leaders stressed that they were not opposed to modern livestock production, ranching or development of the livestock value chain, but objected to what they described as the “opaque, coercive and discriminatory” manner in which the policy was being pursued.
“Let us be clear: The SMBLF is not opposed to modern livestock production, ranching or the development of the livestock value chain.
“What we reject is the opaque, coercive and discriminatory manner in which this policy is being pursued to the exclusive advantage of nomadic Fulani herdsmen.”
The group said it stood with the Middle Belt Forum, which had already rejected the proposed scheme, and called on governments and communities in Southern Nigeria to be vigilant should the policy be extended to the region.
It also challenged any attempt to justify compulsory acquisition of community lands under the Land Use Act of 1978.
According to SMBLF, the legislation “is not a licence for arbitrary land grabbing”, as it recognises customary rights of occupancy and provides for revocation only in cases of overriding public interest.
The leaders argued that agricultural land, including fallow land, remained important community property and should not be appropriated for the benefit of particular economic interests.
“Ranching is an economic enterprise that is privately driven.
“Government cannot disguise compulsory land acquisition for specific economic actors as public interest,” the group said.
SMBLF also raised concerns that the proposed livestock policy could ultimately create permanent settlement zones for nomadic pastoralists.
“The SMBLF deeply suspects that the true aim of this policy is the creation of permanent settlement zones for nomadic Fulani herdsmen,” it alleged.
The group linked its concerns to years of violent clashes between pastoralists and farming communities across parts of the country and the displacement of communities in sections of the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria.
“They cannot be handed the lands of their victims as a reward for their heinous crimes,” the statement said.
SMBLF also alleged that some nomadic pastoralists involved in conflicts with farming communities were not Nigerian citizens, arguing that the Federal Government must address questions of citizenship and national security before ancestral lands are allocated under any government-backed livestock programme.
“Any policy that ignores these realities while allocating vast ancestral lands to them under state protection is unacceptable to the indigenous people of the Middle Belt and the South,” it said.
The forum recalled previous Federal Government livestock initiatives, including the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) programme and cattle colony proposals, which generated widespread opposition in parts of the country.
“We have seen similar attempts before under different names, including the rejected RUGA and Cattle Colony proposals.
“Nigerians resisted because of their implications for land ownership and demographic restructuring,” the group said.
It warned that the proposed pilot scheme must not become a backdoor mechanism for extending government-backed settlements to other regions.
“The scheme is being presented as a pilot, but if it is not firmly opposed by the communities whose lands are being short-changed, it will inevitably be expanded to other parts of the country, including the Southern states,” SMBLF said.
The group demanded full disclosure of the Federal Government’s plans before implementation of the livestock scheme.
It called on the government to publish details of the proposed ranching sites, legal instruments being used for their acquisition, ownership arrangements, beneficiaries, security implications, size of the lands involved and sources of funding.
“If this policy must stand, we demand full disclosure of the proposed ranching sites, the legal instruments for their acquisition, the ownership structure, security concerns, the beneficiaries, the size of the lands involved and the source of funding,” the leaders said.
SMBLF warned that affected communities would resist attempts to take their lands without their consent and adequate legal protection.
“The Middle Belt and the South are not dumping grounds for controversial land policies.
“Our lands belong to our communities that depend on them for farming, homes, livelihoods and survival,” it said.
The forum said it would continue to oppose the initiative until the Federal Government provided satisfactory answers to the questions surrounding the scheme and guaranteed the rights of affected communities.
“Until these questions are answered transparently and the rights of affected communities are fully protected, the SMBLF rejects the proposed ranching scheme in the Middle Belt and the South.
“We will resist every attempt to seize community lands under the guise of livestock development,” it said.
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