In spite of the overwhelming outcry against the plan to retrace and recover grazing routes across the country, the Federal Government is not showing signs of relenting. Saturday PUNCH findings revealed that stock routes, popularly called grazing routes, are currently being retraced and recovered by the Federal Government for herders to graze their cattle. The Federal Government said this was meant to address the clashes between herdsmen and farmers. Although some of the routes are believed to have been encroached upon due to human activities, Saturday PUNCH found out that the government had embarked on a process of identifying monuments along the routes in order to get them back as locations for cattle grazing. Contrary to the expectations of many Nigerians particularly in South that the grazing routes retracing and eventual recovery might not see the light of day, officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development told one of our correspondents on Friday that the routes’ recovery would go on. They, however, said it would be done mainly in non-conflict zones. They also stated that routes that had been encroached upon as a result of the development of public infrastructure might be left out of the recovery exercise. The acting Director, Animal Husbandry Department, FMARD, Winnie Lai-Solarin, stated that while cattle ranching had been one of the major options canvassed for herders, not every pastoralist would be able to afford ranching at the moment. She said, “There are some stock routes that we have across the country, and in the past, we had monuments along these stock routes, particularly the primary stock routes. “And in the course of farming or other human activities along those stock routes, the monuments were altered, but we know where they are. So we are saying that some of them can be retraced. “And this is particularly for areas that are not encroached upon as of now. The pastoralists know the routes, and on some of those routes, you will see the pieces of the monuments along them.” Lai-Solarin added, “So for those that are not encroached upon and are not in conflict zones, we will go ahead to retrace and guide the pastoralists along them. We didn’t get to where we are today in one day and so we cannot expect that every pastoralist should suddenly start ranching now. “Some would still have to move but let’s keep the movement as safe as possible and in areas that are not conflict zones. That is what I am saying. We are not going to retrace stock routes where there are infrastructures that are for the public good.” Another official at the FMARD familiar with the development stated that the government was not happy with the killings associated with clashes between herdsmen and farmers. The official, who requested not to be named for lack of authorisation, explained that the stock routes were in three classes. The source said, “We need to create safe places that are easy for them (herders) to graze their cattle so that they won’t need to travel on the roads. We have primary and secondary stock routes and in some cases, we have tertiary stock routes.” Providing further explanation on the three classes of routes, the official said, “The primary stock routes are the major routes that run in a North-to-South direction from the Sahel to the coastal market. “And then, there are some major routes that run inter-state from the North, while others run intra-state.” The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, had announced on Thursday that the Federal Capital Territory and 22 states had registered for the National Livestock Transformation Plan as part of measures to establish grazing reserves in their domains. He also announced that seven of these states had earmarked 400,000 hectares of land for the initiative, as the establishment of grazing reserves were currently ongoing in Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Kaduna and some other states. “Twenty-two states and the Federal Capital Territory have registered with the NLTP office, out of which 10 states have created their own teams which have been trained by the federal office,” Nanono stated. He explained that seven of the 10 states earmarked about 19 grazing reserves for the implementation of the NLTP, with a total land size of approximately 400,00 hectares. The NLTP was designed by the Federal Government to address the lingering farmer-herder crisis across the country. The plan was inaugurated by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in 2018 at the Gongoshi Grazing Reserve in Mayo-Belwa Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The plan was designed to run from 2019 to 2028 as a collaborative project among the federal and state governments, farmers, pastoralists, and private investors. In February 2021, the Federal Government said it had mapped out 30 grazing reserves across the country for the NLTP implementation. However, some states, especially in the south, had rejected the idea, saying they had no land to donate to the Federal Government for the initiative. They said any individual who wanted to go into ranching should rather look for land and buy. But in a new twist, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), during a recent interview with Arise Television, supported open grazing. He said he had directed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to produce a gazette which delineated grazing routes in all parts of the country in the First Republic. The President stated, “What I did was to ask him (Malami) to go and dig the gazette of the First Republic when people were obeying laws. “There were cattle routes and grazing areas. Cattle routes were for when they (herdsmen) were moving upcountry, north to south or east to west. They had to go through there.” The President’s statement followed Malami’s recent criticism of Southern governors for banning open grazing, saying their action was like banning the sale of spare parts in the North. However, several Southern states and institutions like the Nigerian Bar Association and the Pan-Niger Delta

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said his successor will demolish more houses than he has done in the state. He said some people were seeing him as a demolisher and seem eager for his tenure to end. The governor, who made the comment at a media chat aired on radio stations on Thursday, said residents of the state now appreciate the urban development being executed across the state by his administration. He also said his administration prefers to provide infrastructural development rather than sharing money with people in the name of empowerment or human development. “When we started working on school construction they said we are not providing roads now we are working on roads they said we are not empowering people. “If sharing money in the night is what they mean by empowering people, they should keep insulting us. “The masses who we are working for appreciating what we are doing for them. “You know the election is approaching and they see me as a demolisher “Mai rusau” so they think that maybe the next person that will come after me will not demolish but he will demolish more than I do, God willing,” he said. He urged the people to continue supporting and praying for his administration to succeed. Critics have accused the governor of plunging people into hardship by demolishing their houses but El-Rufai has defended his action, saying it is in public interest.

The Nigerian military has retired 357 non-commissioned officers (NCOs) after empowering them with skills for self reliance. The retirees comprised 258 from the Nigerian Army (NA), 70 from the Nigerian Navy (NN) and 15 from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). They have either reached statutory age of retirement or attained 35 years of service. They were disengaged from service at a well attended function at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC) where they underwent a six-month pre-retirement training to prepare them for life outside the uniform. Addressing the retirees, the Chief of Defence General, Gen. Lucky Irabor reminded them their passing out parade signified a setting dusk in their distinguished military career as well as a.testimony of their determination, commitment and discipline. Irabor,who was represented by the Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Rear Admiral George Eyo, said the pre-retirement course was designed to give trainees the requisite rudiments for a successful reintegration into civil life after a meritorious service to the country. “It is our hope that on completion of this training, our gallant discharging servicemen and women seated here today will apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired and by so doing, comfortably enjoy the post service life,” he said. He urged the retirees to remain good ambassadors of the Armed Forces, maintain highest level of integrity and ensure they contributed towards nation building as they go about their businesses. “You will from now on take full charge as planners and executors of your personal daily activities, This may sound exciting and promising but beware; you need to properly manage your freedom in order to be successful. “The society will expect a high moral standard and discipline from you. You will also have to prove in your relationships that you passed through a highly disciplined system. As our well-grounded ambassadors, I believe you are all capable of excelling in your future endeavors and positively influence your environment for the economic development of our dear country.” The CDS urged them to put to good use, the various entrepreneurial, business development and management skills they had learnt at NAFRC for economically productive and successful life after retirement. He commended NAFRC leadership for its relentless efforts at ensuring that discharging Armed Forces personnel were exposed to the latest trends in global entrepreneurship and management training. In this wise, your reviewed curriculum has enabled trainees to benefit from the modern trends of doing businesses.

Some Nigerians on social media have slammed some Northern groups for placing a bounty on the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. The PUNCH had earlier reported that a coalition of 75 Northern groups under the aegis of the Northern Consensus Movement placed a N100 million reward for anybody who could produce Kanu, for him to be tried over alleged treason. The NCM specifically accused Kanu and IPOB militant wing, Eastern Security Network of masterminding the recent spate of attacks on Northern communities in the South-East. This claim did not go well with some Nigerians as they have taken to Facebook to slam NCM, asking the group to place bounty on Boko Haram and bandits instead. A Facebook user, Oyebode Funmilayo, wrote, “How much did they place on their bandits and terrorists’ kinsmen disturbing the peace of the Northern region? Charity begins at home. You shouldn’t love your neighbours more than yourself. They should channel their energy and resources to fight insurgency, terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in the North.” Another user, Olanrewaju Olubayo, wrote, “The same groups that have remained quiet over Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram and bandits menace in the North are placing a bounty on Nnamdi Kanu, a business that obviously isn’t theirs. God have mercy on a failing country!” “How much have they placed on bandits, Boko Haram, herdsmen and the criminal elements disturbing the peace of the people in the North?” Obigbesan Olufemi asked. “All the mass kidnappings going on in the North is all about fundraising to enable them place N100m bounty. Anyway, the bounty is too small I suggest they increase it,” Godsgift Christopher mocked. Hannah Samuel, wrote, “Of all the problems ravaging the North, it’s Nnamdi Kanu that’s their major headache. Northerners need deliverance!” Solarin Olusegun asked, “What bounty are you going to place on bandit leaders who have been killing mercilessly and robbing people of their hard-earned money?