A group, Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth Nigeria, has deplored the alleged politicisation of the violent clashes between herdsmen and farmers across the country.
The Executive Director, ERA/FoEN, Dr. Godwin Ojo, blamed the government for not promptly addressing the issues that had now resulted in frequent conflicts between herdsmen and farmers in many states.
We condemn the politicisation of herdsmen and farmers’ conflict in the country
Ojo said this in an exclusive chat with our correspondent in Benin, Edo State.
According to him, the neglect of the problem of desertification in the North had snowballed into the frequent violent clashes and killings allegedly being perpetrated in many parts of the country by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
He said, “We condemn the politicisation of herdsmen and farmers’ conflict in the country. First and foremost, the Savannah has been eaten up by desert encroachment. So, the issue of desertification in the North is real. But governments over the period, seem to have neglected this. The herdsmen vegetation to feed their livestock has been degraded; so there is no grazing land in terms of vegetation. We have to acknowledge that.
“Secondly, we condemn in its entirety any idea of cattle colonies, which is not a welcome development. What is required is cattle ranching, which will ensure that the lost vegetation of the Savannah in the North is properly restored. So, we need remediation works. We need to provide conducive atmosphere. That is what is very essential.”
The environmental rights activist urged government to tackle the problem of desertification forcing the herdsmen to move from the North to the South.
Ojo said, “The herdsmen onslaught has a connotation of religious aspect. Many have said that there is a jihadist connotation to it, which may be true. But what is so essential is that global warming climate change has led to the loss of vegetation in the north.
“As a result, there is a march towards the south. Government needs to take it from that perspective and provide the land that is lost in the North.”
On the infighting between opposing camps in Ogoni, Rivers State, over issues of oil exploration, the ERA/FoEN boss asserted that multi-national oil companies thrived on major intra and inter-communal conflicts.
He said, “It must be noted from experience that oil companies thrive whenever there is a major conflict in the communities. The more such conflicts escalate, the more they (oil companies) are able to use divide and rule tactics. It’s not surprising that that is the situation in Ogoni. What is important is that the Ken Saro-Wiwa legacy must be preserved.
“That legacy is that the Ogonis can live without oil. They are productive farmers; they are self-sustaining. That is where we (ERA) took our campaign on leave oil in the soil. The Environmental Rights Action has been campaigning for a post-petroleum economy for the past 15 years or thereabout. But this post-petroleum economy has been acknowledged and widely acclaimed on a global scale culminating in the Paris Agreement of 2015, where the world is now pushing for decarbonisation of the global economy. You see cities here and there proclaiming that they would be carbon-free. This is relevant for the Ogonis to understand.”
Speaking further, Ojo said, “There are two warring factions in Ogoni. One is saying oil is a resource, the earlier we tap it for development the better. The other is saying that oil has been divisive. It has destroyed our livelihood and we are not able to plant.
“What is important is that since oil exploration stopped in Ogoniland, the vegetation has begun to recover from the environmental wreck that was documented by the UNEP report of 2011 through their assessment report that it required an initial $1billion to be committed to the clean-up of Ogoni.”
