By Nana Musa
The Youths Against Disaster Initiative (YADI) has called for the implementation of a comprehensive ranching reform as a strategic pathway to economic transformation, food security and national stability.
The Programme Officer of theinitiative, Mr Farouk Bala, made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Bala said that the country’s open grazing system had for decades fuelled recurring tensions between farmers and pastoralists, particularly in the North-Central region.
According to him, between 2018 and 2023, about 3,000 people lost their lives in farmer-herder clashes across North-Central states, while over 300,000 persons were displaced.
He made reference to findings by the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), and data from the Nigerian Security Tracker (2024) to back up the claims.
“The 2024 Nigeria Watch Report documented that farmer-herder related violence claimed about 567 lives across 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory within one year.
“This figures are not mere statistics, they represent lives lost, livelihoods destroyed and communities fractured,” Bala said.
He said that structured ranching was increasingly being recognised as a sustainable alternative capable of reducing conflicts over land and water resources, while promoting peaceful coexistence and economic modernisation.
Bala commended President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to ranching reform, with Kwara State selected as the pilot state for the initiative.
According to him, resistance to ranching in some quarters stems largely from misinformation rather than outright rejection, as many farmers and herders lack adequate information on its long-term economic and security benefits.
Bala said that the Federal Government had disclosed that Nigeria’s livestock sector contributes over 32 billion dollars to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He said that under the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (2025–2030), the sector could grow its contribution to between 74 billion dollars and 94 billion dollars within a decade if properly structured.
“Drawing global comparisons, Brazil is the world’s largest beef exporter, recording approximately 9.3 billion dollars in beef exports in 2024.
“The United States exported 7.2 billion dollars worth of beef and Australia recorded about eight billion dollars in the same period.
“Uruguay is earning 2.85 billion dollars through high-quality, traceable beef production,” he said.
Bala said that in Nigeria despite, a cattle population estimated at 20 million and ranking among the top 15 globally generated, only 172,000 dollars was generated from cow exports in 2024.
He said less than 200,000 dollars was generated from meat and edible offal exports.
“Structured ranching will enhance revenue generation, boost foreign exchange earnings and reduce dependence on imported dairy and meat products,” he said.
Bala said that the reform would stimulate job creation across the livestock value chain, including ranch management, veterinary services, feed production, meat processing, logistics and leather manufacturing.
“Structured ranching shifts livestock production from subsistence practice to a modern, commercially viable enterprise capable of contributing meaningfully to GDP growth.
“Beyond economic gains, ranching is a critical national security intervention,” he said.
He said that designated ranching zones would prevent encroachment on farmlands, reduce violent confrontations and introduce accountability and traceability into livestock management.
Bala said that the ranching reform was neither a cultural eradication policy nor a land-grab agenda, but a development-oriented initiative designed to modernise livestock production while preserving livelihoods and social cohesion.
He called for an inclusive stakeholder engagement involving pastoral associations, farmers’ groups, traditional rulers, state governments and civil society organisations.
He also suggested a nationwide public sensitisation through the National Orientation Agency and media institutions.
According to him, there should be clear land tenure frameworks, infrastructure development and incentive-driven voluntary adoption.
“Inclusive dialogue, transparency and proper implementation can transform ranching reform into a unifying national project rather than a divisive debate.
”I urge federal and state governments, development partners and the public to support the initiative,” the programme officer said.
A Research Fellow at the CCC, Mr Mukhtar Madobi, said that the persistent farmer herder conflict, particularly across the North Central and parts of the North West, remained a major driver of communal clashes in January.
Madobi quoted the Centre’s January 2026 edition of independent media assessment of critical stakeholders.
“According to the report, many of the crises recorded during the period under review were triggered by disputes over farmland encroachment, destruction of crops and retaliatory attacks linked to open grazing practices.
“Continued reliance on open grazing remains a significant source of tension between farming and herding communities.
“The CCC observed that beyond improving security, ranching reforms hold strong potential for economic transformation, environmental protection and long-term stability in affected regions,” he said.
He said that the January independent media review also analysed media visibility and sentiment across the military, security, anti-corruption and emergency response sectors.
Madobi said that findings showed that several Nigerian security and emergency agencies received predominantly positive media attention.
“They are the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Police Force emerging as top performers.
“The emergency response sector, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Fire Service, NSCDC and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), recorded the most favourable sentiment overall,” he said.
Madobi said that the January review indicated that enforcement-driven agencies, particularly the NCS, NDLEA and NSCDC, benefited from strong positive media visibility.
He said that this was due to measurable operational outputs, revenue performance and sustained enforcement actions.
“The findings underscore the importance of transparency, operational effectiveness and proactive communication in shaping public perception within the country’s evolving security and governance environment,” he said.
