BY GABRIEL OKECHUKWU, FRCN PORT HARCOURT
Following re-occurring incidents of herders farmers’ clashes in parts of the country, Government at all levels and well meaning Nigerians have been enjoined to take proactive steps to stop the trend.
A tourism consultant, Alhaji Yahaya Ndu who made the call during a World Press Conference in Port Harcourt Rivers State, noted that herdsmen have been moving from Northern part of the country to different communities in Southern part previously without troubles, but in recent times it has led to loss of lives.
Alhaji Ndu who identified one of the causes of herders migration to global Warming and resultant desertification, suggested that excess water from flood prone areas be channeled to areas suffering from lack of water.
He maintained that farmers herders’ clash should not be viewed from religious or ethnic angles.
“But like suggested earlier, inspiring the movement of the farmers and are there no alternative solutions to the challenges confronting the herders?”
“We dare say that if the late Libyan leader President Muammar Ghadaffy can turn deserts in his country into gardens, which he did, we Nigerians have all it should take to turn our encroaching deserts into gardens.
To start with scarcity of water is one of the factors responsible for desertification.”
“At this time where many states in Nigeria are suffering from perennial flooding, is it not possible for us as a people to find ways of channeling excess waters from the areas suffering from flooding to the areas suffering from lack of water which could turn out to be a win situation to everyone in the country and stem the so called farmers stroke herders’ clashes?”
Alhaji Ndu who was a former Presidential Aspirant under defunct African Renaissance Party, while speaking on the challenges of insecurity in the country, advocated community policing.
According to him, the country would be better off with the establishment of community police at local government level as well as at the state level, to collaborate with Federal Police.
He insisted that residents of every community are conversant with their peculiar security challenges and their involvement would nip crimes in the bud.
“Why is common sense so uncommon in our country?
Take a second look at the problem of insecurity in our country.
Why have we refused to create state and local government police to police our states and local government areas.
Why are we running what we call a federation and say no to operating federally structured police to ensure protection of lives and properties which our constitution says should be the primary objective of government?”
Alhaji Ndu who is championing a movement he tagged “People’s Movement for a New Nigeria” PMNN , expressed displeasure over security issues in the southeast and challenged state governors of the region to brace up.
