FCT headers sensitise members on grazing ethics

Herders from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and neighbouring states of Niger, Kaduna and Nasarawa have been urged to adopt responsible grazing practices to promote peaceful coexistence with farming communities.
The herders converged on Tafa, a community along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, for a one-day sensitisation programme on Sunday.
Speaking at the event, one of the resource persons, Zakariyya Muazu, called for an end to night grazing and the use of underage children to herd cattle, saying the practices could help curb clashes between herders and crop farmers.
Muazu warned that children lacked the capacity to control cattle effectively and that sending them to herd animals deprived them of access to education.
He added that the practice could expose them to drug abuse because of the isolated nature of their work in the bush.

Also speaking, the Ardo of Fulani in Tafa community, Haruna Ahmad Bunkau, urged herders to assign cattle-rearing duties to literate adults rather than underage children or uneducated persons.

He also encouraged herders to embrace modern livestock-rearing methods by acquiring land and investing in ranching.

Ibrahim Mamman, a herder from Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, called for the expansion of existing cattle routes around rural communities, particularly those leading to rivers and other water sources.

He lamented that herders were losing cattle to chemical spraying on grazing sites, attributing the problem to conflicts that arise when animals stray into farms during grazing.