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The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore socio-cultural organisation has stated reasons behind their support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, ahead of the 2023 general election.
Reasons for supporting Tinubu: The group, also known as Miyetti Allah, said Tinubu has committed himself to retrieval of the “450 grazing routes across the country" as well as implementation of the Livestock Intervention Programme initiated by the current administration.
This was disclosed by the Secretary-General of the group, Saleh Alhassan, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH.
The herders-farmer crisis: Recall that the Livestock Intervention Programme was introduced two years after the suspension of the controversial Rural Grazing Area Scheme, also known as RUGA.
The Federal Government had claimed that the programme was aimed at addressing the lingering crisis between farmers and herders across the country.
However, many southern states had instead called for ranching as the permanent solution to the frequent clashes between herders and farmers.
They argued that cattle rearing was a private business therefore, herders ought to buy land and graze their cattle on it.
Miyetti Allah justifies support: While explaining why Miyetti Allah endorsed the Tinubu/Shettima ticket, Alhassan said a Tinubu administration would defend the interest of of Fulani pastoralists.
Alhassan's word: “We have absolutely endorsed Tinubu for the presidency. We were there in the forum. This was based on the manifesto of the APC’s candidate. We felt our interest is better protected in the Tinubu/Shettima presidency. It was a unanimous endorsement of the candidature of Tinubu.
“Tinubu gave us the commitment to ensure the implementation of the National Livestock Development Plan of the current administration of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, where they will ensure the modernisation of the livestock sub-sector and address the issue of cattle rustling and kidnapping allegations between herders and farmers.
“We will have more ranches and exotic breeding grounds across the country and the gradual sedentarisation of the nomadic herders. This is what we are looking for in the Tinubu/Shettima presidency.
“The 450 grazing routes, the majority of which are located in the North are the starting points of any modern ranch one wants to build in this country. Those are areas provided for herders to do their business for cattle rearing.
“If one wants to start any form of modernisation, Nigeria should begin from the grazing routes which were dedicated for livestock farmers in the First Republic. We cannot build ranches on nothingness, and the issues of land have to be put into serious consideration. This is what Tinubu has promised to address.”