The Crux of Farmers and Herdsmen Conflict in Nigeria
Keywords:
Climate change, extreme weather, resource control, insecurity, farmers–herdsmen conflictsAbstract
Land and water are crucial for crop farming and livestock raising. But these two resources are strongly affected by physical factors such as climate change, drought, desertification and human factors such as population pressures, over grazing, migrations of herdsmen within Nigeria and from neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger; Boko Haram insurgency that has crippled economic activities in the three States of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in the north east, and cattle rustling that has forced many herdsmen to flee with their animals for security and for sustainability. Detailed reviews were made on all the physical and human factors identified by this study as the flash points of the farmersherdsmen conflicts in Nigeria and the facts are that the farmers and herdsmen are clashing mainly because of resource control which both desire for their occupational survival. This work therefore concludes that heightened farmersherdsmen conflicts especially since 2015 in Nigeria have nothing to do with race and religions as often portrayed. The National Assembly should establish the standard with enabling laws and administrative structures to ensure that all the ranches meet minimum standard for hygiene and environmental sustainability.
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