Date: 2018-03-30

Kwara state governor, Alhaji AbdulFattah Ahmed has pledged to appoint a Special Assistant, Fulani Affairs, to represent Miyetti Allah in his administration.

The appointment, which would be done within the next two weeks, was made at an enlarged meeting of the state's security committee held on Tuesday in Ilorin, the state capital.

A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Sola Isiaka Gold said the appointment would also serve to ease communication between members of Miyetti Allah, the government, and local farmers.

The meeting, according to the communique, also agreed to discourage stakeholders from criminalizing herdsmen under the umbrella of Miyetti Allah as well as ascribing criminality to a tribe particularly in information dissemination and called on the Federal Government to optimally utilize the forest reserves in Kwara State and those of the neighbouring States currently providing undue shelter for criminals.

The meeting was attended by members of the State Security Committee, Chairpersons of the 16 Local Government Councils, all First Class Traditional Rulers in the State, the leadership of Miyetti Allah, and Seriki Fulani from the 16 Local Government Areas in the State as well as those of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kwara State Chapter.

According to the communiqué, during the meeting, each of the major stakeholders bore their minds on issues that could instigate conflict between the Herdsmen and Farmers. Some of those issues exhaustively deliberated upon are night grazing, grazing on farmlands, attack on the cattle of herdsmen, among a host of others.

The 14-point communiqué indicated that participants agreed to, "stem the rising and alarming tide of security challenges confronting five of the 16 Local Government Areas in the State: Ekiti, Baruten, Kaiama, Ilorin South and Ifelodun LGAs; encourage the sustenance of arrangements between Herdsmen and Farmers to pay due compensation when either side's properties are destroyed, for the protection of the interest of aggrieved parties without resorting to self-help;

"improve communication among Miyetti Allah, Farmers, and Security Agents in the State for a better understanding of the mode of operations of all parties for sustained peace; stem the tide of night grazing forthwith due to its potential to stir up problems among the stakeholders;

"discourage stakeholders from criminalizing herdsmen under the umbrella of Miyetti Allah as well as ascribing criminality to a tribe particularly in information dissemination; appeal to the Federal Government to initiate a funding policy on ranching system that will allow the Herdsmen (i) rear their cattle without encroaching on farmlands; and (ii) have access to credit facilities at single-digit rates for enhanced operations;

"improve synergy of communication among Miyetti Allah, Farmers, and Security Agencies; encourage Miyetti Allah to carry all and sundry along in all their activities and properly identify their members to avoid demonizing and criminalizing the innocent;

"sufficiently create wealth f"om cattle rearing and cropping through efficient and profitable use of all parts of both businesses and solidify friendship between the Herdsmen and the Farmers; ensure that new settlers are disallowed on any parcel of land in Kwara State unless such is properly profiled, identified and with due communication from where such originate from and with the knowledge of the affected traditional ruler;

"local government councils and traditional rulers to promote community involvement in policing by all citizens and residents through surveillance and provision of timely information to the Security Agencies to enable them to apprehend and prosecute suspected criminals".cause it is only the living that can celebrate," he said. (NAN)