***Donate heifer cow to Gov
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
The farmers and herders in Jigawa State have paid homage to governor Malam Umar Namadi with gifts of heifer cow, bags of rice and wheat in appreciation for the initiative and policies that have returned decade lost peace between them in the state.
The two rival groups presented the gift to the governor while celebrating end of the dry season farming and harvest of crops based on irrigation organized by the state ministry of agriculture and natural resources at Kabak village in Kirikasamma local government area of the state.
Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Malam Umar Namadi expressed gratitude to the herders and farmers for embracing governments initiative and strategy which returned the peace and harmony in all the conflict areas.
The governor urged the Farmers and herders to forget the past, remain peaceful, united and be their brothers keepers to avoid conflicts that have bedeviled some parts of the Northwest region.
According to him “There will be no development of any kind if there is no peace in any community, society or state.
He said as a government “We had done a lot for both of you, the farmers and the herders.
The aim is to ensure each have all his rights and privileges for permanent peace and development of everyone”.
“We employed over 1200 Agro-extention workers for Farmers as well as over 300 Veterinary health workers for the herders’s livestock. All with the good intention of having a peaceful environment in the state.
“We can give you all the needed assistant to enable you succeed. I learnt that in this village over 100 people bought new cars this year, over 200 youths bough new motor cycles.
“Many people demolished their mud houses and built modern ones, and many also married new wives and married out their daughters without being supported by anybody,”.
He therefore warned that the state government on its own part cannot tolerate any breech of peace by any group in any part of the state.
“Farmers should always farm where it is authorized for them to avoid cultivating along the cattle routes or drinking ponds as well as grazing areas.
“While the herders are also warned to avoid grazing on crops or any other areas that are already cultivated. Any person or group of persons that violate this accord will be dealt with by the law.
He therefore warned both farmers and herders in the state to avoid anything that can cause conflict between the two parties during this farming season.
He urged the two parties to embrace peace in the state to give way for the state government to execute developmental Projects that have direct bearings on the lives of the ordinary citizens.
The Governor also cautioned the traditional rulers, religious, community and youth leaders in the state to always take note of who comes in and goes out of their respective localities to avoid harbouring bad elements and miscreants.
Speaking at the ceremony the chairman Miyyeti Allah (Herders Association) Hardo Ja’e Fago commended the governor and his government’s initiative and policies that are taking care of the fulani needs and solving all contending issues causing crisis between them and farmers.
Fago explained that “as a result of your initiatives, policies and actions the decade lost peace between the herders and our brother farmers has been returned following which we are witnessing a lot of progress in our economy”.
“Your excellency one interesting thing is that many of our members are now farming while rearing their animals unlike before when we depended only on animal’s rearing”.
“Now apart from producing meat and milk, we are producing food including cash crops in addition to meat and milk production”.
On his part the chairman All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Ya’u Kaga thanks the governor for his support to farmers for both dry and rainy seasons.
He said the government of Malam Namadi has purchased tractors in addition to a lot of agricultural inputs, such as combined harvesters trashers. “The state government also gave us (farmers) fertilizer at a subsidized price and also improve seedlings of rice, wheat, Meize etc, thank you very much”.