Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
In the past few months, there has been a raging controversy over the proposed establishment of cattle colonies as a solution to incessant herdsmen’s attacks in Nigeria.
Recently, a public policy specialist and a former diplomat, Oseloka Henry Obaze, highlighted the hidden benefits of cattle rearing and possible gains from establishing cattle colonies, if done the right way in Nigeria.
Obaze spoke as a guest lecturer during the fourth annual lecture series of the Department of Economics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State. The event was chaired by Prof. Bernard Odoh, secretary to the Ebonyi State government.
Speaking on the topic “The Political Economy of Cattle Colony in Nigeria,” Obaze opined that establishing cattle colonies in different states in the country could be beneficial because of the accruing economic advantages. But he cautioned that such colonies or whatever name they are called could only produce positive results if indigenes of the respective states or localities are allowed to manage such establishments.
He noted that the proposed establishment of cattle colonies in Nigeria has spurred great mistrust and doubts among many people in different parts of the country, and such mistrust and doubts are anchored on fears of conquest and domination from a particular ethnic group in Nigeria known for nomadic pastoral farming.
Obaze regretted that cattle rearing in Nigeria has become controversial owing to incidents of some pastoral Fulani herdsmen, who brandish rifles at will, while the federal and state governments seem to have failed in addressing the proliferation of such automatic weapons within the ranks of the pastoral herdsmen.
Describing the situation as a national disaster in the making, Obaze, who was the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last Anambra State election, recalled what he said in his recent published book, Prime Witness, where he noted that clashes spearheaded by herdsmen mimic the unhindered rise of Boko Haram terrorists. He said that solving the herdsmen-farmers’ conflict requires Nigerians rising above the battle space and seeking solutions that serve the common cause.
Obaze pointed out that it was the knowledge and awareness of the wanton violence and killings associated recently with the cattle herdsmen that have triggered the prevailing fear and the seeming inability of the federal government to live up to its statutory responsibility to protect Nigerian citizens in their homesteads.
“Unfortunately, in the hues and cries of the visceral violence and loss of lives and properties resulting from herdsmen-farmers’ clashes, we have, as a nation, allowed emotions and fear to drown out proper debate assessments and evaluation of the cattle economy, a critical component of our national economy, wealth, income generation and employment. It is worth stressing, therefore, that, as a nation, we need to revisit urgently or at least discuss this public policy issue dispassionately, thus making it a win-win situation for all concerned,” he said.
Obaze stressed that setting up formal grazing reserves in Nigeria would not be new, as there were such areas in the 1950s in Kano and other places in the North. He said, if there is stiff resistance to policies aimed at reintroducing formal grazing reserves or cattle colonies, it is perhaps because policymakers did not diligently study the challenges and pitfalls of previous attempts.
He said although herdsmen have claimed that their cattle protection vigilantism was aimed at rustlers, the number of casualties from herdsmen’s violence rose exponentially in 2016 and 2017.
“It is, therefore, not surprising that, of the 36 Nigerian states, only 16 northern states accepted to create cattle colonies and provide the 10,000 hectares of land requested from each state by the federal government, while seven states rejected the proposal outright even as the remnant states remain lukewarm toward the policy,” he said.
Obaze further explained that, globally, the value chain of the cattle economy or industry is enormous but though the potential of the cattle industry in Nigeria is huge, it is hardly being tapped.
He listed such potential to include beef and sausage production, hides and skin, fresh milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, yoghurt, infant formula, bone china, livestock feed, manure, mechanised abattoirs and job opportunities created from ranching, refrigeration and livestock transportation.
He informed the gathering that the cattle economy in Nigeria was presently exploring only four of the 15 possible value chains, namely beef, leather, milk and bone china while the other value chains have remained largely unexplored.
“Reforming Nigeria’s cattle rearing and trade method will boost the nation’s earnings, not just from beef, milk, butter and cheese but from export of hides and skin. Presently, because Nigerians consume cow hide known locally as ponmo, the nation is losing out on the global leather market that is valued at $75 billion annually from its non-export of cow hides,” Obaze said.
He urged Nigerians to start looking at how the nation as a whole could embrace and benefit from the cattle economy. Doing so, he said, would mean that no section of the country would be averse and hostile towards those who legitimately engage in the business, while those that engage in killings in order to provide food for their herd and protect their livelihood must also stop the practice.
Admitting that creating the cattle colony economy might seem awkward, problematic and adversarial, he said it also presented a unique opportunity to Nigerians for constructive policymaking aimed at holistic development of agriculture and the economy.
Earlier in the lecture, the first female head of the Department of Economics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Dr. Uju Ezenekwe, said that the department, under her watch, purposely decided to make the fourth lecture series very contemporary by choosing to discuss one of the contradictions that had engaged the rich and the poor, big and mighty in Nigerian society today.
She said the proposed cattle colony had created some fear, but the expose by Obaze would enable people to participate in the debate of making the country a better place.
Ezenekwe stated that, over time, most people had taken academic institutions, especially economics, to be unaffected by the contradictions and material negation in the society. She said that, in most cases, such people feel that economics has no business tinkering with issues of good governance, conflicts and other socio-political matters.
“It is important to correct that impression. Economics is fundamentally about optimal allocation of resources at the macroeconomic and microeconomic levels of the society, and it follows that any socio-political upheaval that takes place definitely affects the ability of the system to attain the equilibrium or state of harmony. When the confidence of the people is eroded, nothing can work properly,” she said.
Vice chancellor of the university, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, in his address, said that, as a citadel of learning, teaching and research, Nnamdi Azikiwe University had been contributing ts quota in public enlightenment regarding public policy matters over the years. One of such avenues, noted Prof. Ahaneku, was the lecture series.