‘No inter-agency partnership’ll end food insecurity unless Fulani herdsmen are tamed’
Food security activist, Dr. Dayo Adedeji has sounded it loud and clear that no level of inter-agency collaboration will stop or reduce food crisis in Nigeria unless the murderous Fulani Herdsmen are tamed in cattle ranches.
Reacting to the new that the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and Nigeria National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) have concluded plans to partner on research and development activities capable of reducing post-harvest crop losses and enhancing nutrition security among Nigerians, he said the best bet by the present administration is to flag off cattle ranching as a federal project in parts of the north and other states that are willing to provide lands.
Dr. Adedeji averred that “It was very touching the recent video of a poor Plateau State Farmer, Mr. Jeremiah, whom a Fulani herdsmen cut of his hands simply because he was telling him to stop grazing in his Rice farm. Up till now, no federal government official has condemned the act event though the culprit has been arrested by the Police. But will Jeremiah’s hand be restored? The answer is no and his rise turnover has been reduced for life if he will still continue to farm going forward.
In the news Dr Adedeji was reacting to, it was said that possible areas of collaboration identified by the two organisations include training and capacity enhancement of researchers and joint research collaboration on vegetables and pearl millet, among others. Leading a team of researchers from the agency on a courtesy visit to the West African Office of AATF, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, Director General of NABDA, noted that with the expanded mandate of NABDA to embark on research activities, AATF is the best place to launch the partnership drive to begin research on how to improve the shelf life of our vegetable crops and save the country and our farmers from the huge wastage suffered annually. He said that AATF has the experience and network that had proven over the years to be dependable and capable of assisting NABDA and other research organisations on the continent to proffer solutions to food and nutrition challenges.
