The Federal Government is making a security arrangement whereby farmers in the country will pay fees for protection from kidnappers while in their farms.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, dropped the hint yesterday in Abuja while speaking with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting.




Ogbe, who was responding to a question on the perennial attacks on farmers by suspected Fulani herdsmen, said he and the Minister of Interior had met and were considering the security situation in the agriculture sector.
He said the government had to use a legitimate instrument of state to stop the abductions because a farmer has no right to buy an AK47 rifle to protect himself.
He also disclosed that a development programme was underway in the Federal Capital Territory to stop cows from being moved around. He said the federal government would not force anyone to provide land for grazing reserves, even as some states were willing to make lands available.
Ogbe also said the government was aware of crises in many families as a result of serious food shortage, adding that the Federal Executive Council had approved a new agriculture road map to address food shortage in the country.
He said The Green Alternative, meant for agricultural operations in the next three years, outlined government’s policies and objectives of seeing agriculture as the next biggest alternative in its drive to diversify the economy.
According to him, the document outlines virtually everything Nigeria needs to do to achieve self-sufficiency in food production and become a major exporter of agricultural products.
The minister said though the nation could not achieve self-sufficiency absolutely in the next one year, it was approaching there.
Also while inaugurating committees for the implementation of an MoU between the federal government and participating state governments and the China-Africa Machinery Corporation (CAMACO) on agricultural mechanisation system, Ogbe lamented the shortage of tractors in Nigeria when compared to farmers’ population and size of farms.
CAMACO is a venture funded by the China-African Development Fund (CADFund) as a strategic partnership built and developed between China and Africa, with the purpose of encouraging and supporting Chinese enterprises to invest in Africa.
Chief Ogbeh said there were fewer than 30,000 tractors in Nigeria but the country should at least as at today, have one million. The partnership with CAMACO is an attempt to catch up with shortfalls in tractors and increase mechanisation to make it easier for agriculture to take place

mrkayusfit:
In my opinion i think the farmers are self centered. Remember these hersmen are Nigerians and they have the right to live and do their businesses any where in Nigeria. What's the big deal in allocating some portion of their farms for cattle grazing? If they were also rearing cattles, won't they graze them? The herdsmen are majorly the source of beef in the country and since everyone patronizes their meat, why can't we support the grazing bill so they can stop moving their cattles in the cities and instead have grazing fields? I know there are bad eggs amongst the herdsmen but we can't throw away the baby and bath water.

The farmers should be ready to pay for their protection since they are doing their private business. The fulanis are not violent people, let's stop the stigmatization

mrkayusfit:
[s]In my opinion i think the farmers are self centered. Remember these herdsmen are Nigerians and they have the right to live and do their businesses any where in Nigeria. What's the big deal in allocating some portion of their farms for cattle grazing? If they were also rearing cattles, won't they graze them? The herdsmen are majorly the source of beef in the country and since everyone patronizes their meat, why can't we support the grazing bill so they can stop moving their cattles in the cities and instead have grazing fields? If every state creates grazing reserves don't you think it will limit clashes between farmers and herdsmen? I know there are bad eggs amongst the herdsmen but we can't throw away the baby and bath water. There has to be a compromise for the sake of peace.

The farmers should be ready to pay for their protection since they are doing their private business. They are not expected to buy guns to protect themselves. The government will provide security if they are ready to pay. The fulanis are not violent people, let's stop the stigmatization of herdsmen[/s]

Vendoor:

mrkayusfit:
In my opinion i think the farmers are self centered. Remember these hersmen are Nigerians and they have the right to live and do their businesses any where in Nigeria. What's the big deal in allocating some portion of their farms for cattle grazing? If they were also rearing cattles, won't they graze them? The herdsmen are majorly the source of beef in the country and since everyone patronizes their meat, why can't we support the grazing bill so they can stop moving their cattles in the cities and instead have grazing fields? I know there are bad eggs amongst the herdsmen but we can't throw away the baby and bath water.

The farmers should be ready to pay for their protection since they are doing their private business. The fulanis are not violent people, let's stop the stigmatization

mrkayusfit:
In my opinion i think the farmers are self centered. Remember these hersmen are Nigerians and they have the right to live and do their businesses any where in Nigeria. What's the big deal in allocating some portion of their farms for cattle grazing? If they were also rearing cattles, won't they graze them? The herdsmen are majorly the source of beef in the country and since everyone patronizes their meat, why can't we support the grazing bill so they can stop moving their cattles in the cities and instead have grazing fields? I know there are bad eggs amongst the herdsmen but we can't throw away the baby and bath water.

The farmers should be ready to pay for their protection since they are doing their private business. The fulanis are not violent people, let's stop the stigmatization sad

TheFreeOne:


Are you Ok

So destroying other people farms/crops whilst doing their yeye business is sensible to you

As per grazing bill let them create such reserves in their respective states excluding the south.

mrkayusfit:
In my opinion i think the farmers are self centered. Remember these herdsmen are Nigerians and they have the right to live and do their businesses any where in Nigeria. What's the big deal in allocating some portion of their farms for cattle grazing? If they were also rearing cattles, won't they graze them? The herdsmen are majorly the source of beef in the country and since everyone patronizes their meat, why can't we support the grazing bill so they can stop moving their cattles in the cities and instead have grazing fields? If every state creates grazing reserves don't you think it will limit clashes between farmers and herdsmen? I know there are bad eggs amongst the herdsmen but we can't throw away the baby and bath water. There has to be a compromise for the sake of peace.

The farmers should be ready to pay for their protection since they are doing their private business. They are not expected to buy guns to protect themselves. The government will provide security if they are ready to pay. The fulanis are not violent people, let's stop the stigmatization of herdsmen

mrkayusfit:



Let's support the grazing bill

mrkayusfit:



And who are you to speak for the south? I'm a yoruba man from ado ekiti but i support the grazing bill if it will put an end to clashes. With the bill in place, no herdsmen will enter people's farm anyne

Almajiri1:
Protection money? cosa nostra?God bless good ol Don corleone.

TheFreeOne:


Naija currently under the reign of Fulani mafias.

Fulani Dons Ti take over.

mrkayusfit:



And who are you to speak for the south? I'm a yoruba man from ado ekiti but i support the grazing bill if it will put an end to clashes. With the bill in place, no herdsmen will enter people's farm anyne

mrkayusfit:
In my opinion i think the farmers are self centered. Remember these herdsmen are Nigerians and they have the right to live and do their businesses any where in Nigeria. What's the big deal in allocating some portion of their farms for cattle grazing? If they were also rearing cattles, won't they graze them? The herdsmen are majorly the source of beef in the country and since everyone patronizes their meat, why can't we support the grazing bill so they can stop moving their cattles in the cities and instead have grazing fields? If every state creates grazing reserves don't you think it will limit clashes between farmers and herdsmen? I know there are bad eggs amongst the herdsmen but we can't throw away the baby and bath water. There has to be a compromise for the sake of peace.

The farmers should be ready to pay for their protection since they are doing their private business. They are not expected to buy guns to protect themselves. The government will provide security if they are ready to pay. The fulanis are not violent people, let's stop the stigmatization of herdsmen