Ado Meri
As part of the ongoing grassroots engagement to foster peaceful coexistence in the Jaba Local Government area of Kaduna State, the Chairperson in charge of the Council, Hon. Mrs. Nita Byack George, has reiterated her commitment to ensuring a harmonious relationship between farmers and herders in the area.
In 2022, Hon. Nita set up an inclusive Farmers and Herders Committee, comprising security agencies, traditional leaders, Fulani Ardos, religious leaders, and other prime movers in the local council. The committee was tasked with developing modalities to amicably resolve the persistent clashes between farmers and herders in the area.
After several engagements, the committee resolved to develop a guideline that punishes offenders and rewards victims of deliberate farm destruction and animal poisoning. Some of the key resolutions include:
- No child herding to avoid cows straying onto farms
- No grazing after 7 pm
- Farmers and herders committed to protecting each other’s interests
- Fines for offenders (N200,000 for first-time offenders, N500,000 for second-time offenders)
According to Hon. Nita, the committee’s efforts are focused on ensuring real-time peace between farmers and herders. She emphasized that peace is not negotiable in Jaba, especially now, and that the committee’s agreements have been well-received by stakeholders.
The committee’s communique will be shared with district heads and Fulani Ardos to ensure everyone is on the same page. Jaba Local Government is working hard to maintain its status as the most peaceful local government in the state.
Hon. Nita restated, “We set up the Herders/Farmers Committee of Jaba Local Government to make sure the people of the council, especially, live peaceably with one another. The committee, which is made up of security agencies, religious bodies, the Fulani Ardos, and district heads, sat and came up with certain agreements to facilitate the peaceful coexistence of herders and farmers in Jaba, being the most peaceful local government in the state. So we don’t want anything to jeopardize that status.”
She continued, “Now that farming activities are in top gear with continuous dwindling of land for grazing, these stakeholders have to rise to implement the agreement they willingly signed. We knew that peace is what our Governor, His Excellency, Sen. Uba Sani wants to enable him to govern well. So, we at the grassroots must understand his good intentions and do all we can at our level to help him realize that because it is when there is peace that we can talk about farming, herding, and development.”
Hon. Nita emphasized that the committee’s efforts are focused on ensuring real-time peace between farmers and herders, adding that peace is not negotiable in Jaba, especially now. She reiterated that the committee’s agreements have been well-received by stakeholders and that Jaba Local Government is working hard to maintain its status as the most peaceful local government in the state.
Dan Zaki Media 