Traditional Fulani herders, who have moved across West Africa’s expansive land with their livestock, are facing difficulties like never before. The full force of modernization, land use competition for Agriculture and habitation, and the increasingly disruptive issues of Climate Change threaten their way-of-life. The government has suggested repeatedly that herders should become converted to more sedentary systems of Livestock farming and acquire private land. Transitioning to private lands is unrealistic and a burden for many herders, who do not have funds nor access to government support.
Although the government has commitments to address the challenges, change has come slowly. President Bola Tinubu, in July, established a new ministry of livestock development in the hope that the minister will begin to reinvigorate long abandoned grazing reserves. However, as of now, no minister has been appointed, and the concerns are still there. Nigeria has over 20 million cows – nearly all owned by the Fulani. The tribe is ranked 4th in cattle numbers in Africa, with a dairy market value of $1.5 billion.
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But about 90% of local demand is imported. This is a tragic testament to the inefficiency of the industry. Cows that are constantly on the move and poorly nourished struggle to produce milk, and this is a major reason to abandon the villagization of the sector. In Abuja, the presence of cattle is likewise impacting the environment and Infrastructure of the city. Traffic jams are expected as herds cross busy roads and cattle are grazing on infrastructure built to beautify the city.
In other regions of Nigeria, cumulative issues of land access and grazing have resulted in deadly farmer-herder violence especially in the central and southern regions where ethnic and religious divides fuel the fire. In the area surrounding Abuja, there are four designated grazing reserves in the rural area, but these are under “pressure from other farmers and illegal settlers,” said Festus Adebayo, executive secretary of the Housing Development Advocacy Network. Because those reserves are not being used, herders establish camps anywhere they can and they will remain as long as it is conducive until they have to move.
They resist relocation as urban sprawl overtakes grazing lands.
The situation many herders face demonstrates that the challenge is more than meets the eye. Herders have had to move several times over the years as urban dwellings creep closer to the grazing community where they are settling now. In fact, much of the open land around their current settlement has been taken by newly built structures. One elderly herder specifically worries that the remaining land at his current settlement in the Life Camp will soon be taken by another owner. As an active smallholder pastoralist, he is unable to buy land in Abuja for permanent residence and ranching.
He explained that if he sold all his cows to buy land, he wouldn’t have any money left to make a living. Others like him are refusing to move and are staying where they have settled. His family is currently living on a small piece of land at the edge of a new estate near the Idu train station. This area used to be a dense bush, but it has been taken over by development. The landowner has repeatedly asked them to leave, but this elderly herder insists, “We’re not going anywhere unless there’s a new place for us in Abuja.”
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Finally, the situation in Abuja shows the urgent need for effective urban planning and government intervention. Folawiyo Daniel, an Abuja-based Real Estate developer, believes that the issue is a failure of urban planning rather than a problem with real estate development. He argues that the government should revive the grazing reserves within the city to accommodate the pastoralists. Adebayo agrees with this sentiment, urging Abuja’s minister, Nyesom Wike, to take decisive action to resolve the problem of open grazing in the city.