IPCR, KAICIID, NIALS Set To Tackle Herdsmen-Farmer Clashes at Policy Review Meeting in Abuja

By: Michael Mike

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), in collaboration with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue KAICIID and the Nigerian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), has joined forces to address Nigeria’s escalating tensions between farming and pastoralist communities.

At the First Quarter Policy Review Meeting themed “Livestock Policies in Nigeria: Implications for Peace, Security, and Reconciliation,” stakeholders highlighted the urgent need for reforms to address policy gaps driving communal violence.

The event which held on Tuesday at the IPCR Director-General’s Conference Room in Abuja, stakeholders gathered for a high-level dialogue led by the Director-General of the IPCR, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu.

Ochogwu set the tone by emphasising that livestock production, while a backbone of Nigeria’s rural economy, has become a trigger for recurring conflict, displacement, and national insecurity.

He said: “We are all witnesses to the devastating impact of these clashes,” stressing that: “From loss of lives to destruction of properties and disruption of food supply chains, the consequences are eroding national cohesion and fuelling organised crime.”

He noted that despite existing frameworks like the National Livestock Transformation Plan (2019–2028), the National Dairy Development Policy (2021), and anti-open grazing laws, implementation has remained inconsistent and, in many cases, polarising.

“Too many communities still view government efforts with scepticism. Policies that are not inclusive or culturally sensitive will continue to fall short of expectations,” Ochogwu warned.

He noted that: “Every insight shared here today has the potential to prevent conflict tomorrow.”

The meeting, which featured policymakers, religious leaders, civil society representatives, and researchers, served as a platform to review livestock governance policies and their intersection with peace and security outcomes.

Ochogwu underlined the indispensable role of the Network of Policymakers and Religious Leaders (NPMRL) as a forum for inclusive dialogue. He stressed the power of religious and traditional institutions to mediate conflicts and counter misinformation where government efforts may fall short.

He said: “Religious leaders are trusted voices in times of crisis. By meaningfully engaging them in livestock governance, we build trust, legitimacy, and ownership at the community level.”

He further called for a shift in how policies are monitored, not merely by economic metrics, but by how they enhance peace and human dignity.

“Behind every policy are real lives — the farmer feeding his family, the pastoralist protecting his herd, the woman whose livelihood is disrupted, and the child whose future is at stake.”

Since 2016, the IPCR-KAICIID partnership has fostered interfaith dialogue platforms like the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) and has hosted quarterly policy review meetings since 2021. Dr. Ochogwu noted that these engagements have proven the effectiveness of inclusive dialogue in resolving sensitive national issues.

The session also featured a lead paper by Dr. Andrew Kwasari and discussants from government ministries, academia, and research institutions. They examined alignment between livestock policies and mandates of key institutions, including Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), faith bodies, and civil society organisations.

“Peace-sensitive livestock governance is not optional it is a national imperative,”

“This gathering is not just a policy review. It is a moral and social obligation to ensure no Nigerian is left behind in our pursuit of peace.”Dr. Ochogwu concluded.

The Country Expert from KAICIID Dr. Joseph Atang revealed the urgent need to critically assess Nigeria’s livestock policy, particularly in terms of its sensitivity to existing conflicts. Without understanding whether the policy mitigates or aggravates tensions, meaningful recommendations cannot be made.

“So how conflict sensitive is the livestock policy in Nigeria? We would need to know that. Because if we don’t know what the policy is all about, and we don’t know whether it is conflict sensitive or not, we will not be able to give recommendations that are cogent and practicable and implementable.”

He acknowledged that the farmers-herders conflict is often a catalyst for broader tensions,sometimes framed through religious or ethnic lines making the policy not just an agricultural issue, but a peace and security concern.

“We know that what we call the farmers-hunters conflict is perhaps an indirect reason why we have the policy ,Sometimes, the conflict is executed on the platform of ethnicity, sometimes on the platform of religion.”

Atang stressed that while the Ministry of Livestock Development is the lead agency, the success of the livestock policy depends on all stakeholders including religious bodies, MDAs, and security agencies actively promoting, integrating, and supporting its goals.

“Although our eyes are all on the livestock ministry for implementation, we still have to do our own bit to make sure that it succeed

“All the MDAs, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies What are the religious organisations doing about this?”

Atang emphasized that all stakeholders religious groups, security agencies, and civil society must go beyond attending meetings and actively mainstream livestock policy into their respective programs and constituencies.

“We are supposed to mainstream this policy into our own programmes. What is CAN doing about this livestock policy? What is JNI doing about this livestock policy? How are we promoting it within our constituencies?”

The President at SCL Future Food Systems, Dr. Andrew Kwasari cautioned that livestock reform should not be viewed merely through an economic lens. Instead, it must be firmly rooted in Nigeria’s broader peace and stability strategy to address the root causes of conflict.

He said: “Livestock reform should not be pursued solely as an economic modernisation agenda, but as a cornerstone for Nigeria’s peace and stability strategy.”

He stressed the need for peace-sensitive monitoring and evaluation frameworks that go beyond economic metrics like productivity. These frameworks should also measure community perceptions, institutional collaboration, and actual conflict reduction.

“Monitoring frameworks must track not only productivity gains, but also reduction in violence and improvement in intercommunal relations.”

Kwasari emphasized the importance of listening to the communities most affected by livestock policies. Independent evaluations must amplify these voices to ensure inclusive and equitable policy outcomes.

“Commission independent evaluation of livestock policy implementation that prioritises the voices of affected communities, particularly marginalised groups.”

IPCR, KAICIID, NIALS Set To Tackle Herdsmen-Farmer Clashes at Policy Review Meeting in Abuja

Zulum inaugurates housing complex for teachers in Mafa

By: Michael Mike

The governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum has inaugurated a 72-unit housing complex, comprising two and three-bedroom apartments, for teachers in Mafa Local Government Area of the state.
 
The project is part of the efforts by the administration of Zulum to address the critical shortage of teachers’ accommodations and improve welfare in the education sector.
 
The commissioning ceremony, which was held on Tuesday, was part of the Zulum administration’s ongoing efforts towards revitalising education, particularly in rural communities that were affected by over a decade of insurgency.
 
Zulum, while presenting the keys to the beneficiaries, said the welfare of teachers is paramount to achieving qualitative education.
 
According to the governor, providing decent and secured housing is one of his administration’s key priorities.
 
The newly commissioned complex comprises 24 two-bedroom semi-detached units and 48 units of eight blocks, three-storey buildings, three bedrooms, and basic amenities. Each unit was designed to provide a comfortable and dignified living space for teaching staff and their families.
 
Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe, explained that the beneficiaries were selected from primary and secondary schools.
 
Wakilbe commended Governor Zulum for prioritising the welfare of teachers by providing them with a decent accommodation.
 
Those who were present at the event included the House of Representatives member for Maiduguri Metropolis, Abdulkadir Rahis; the Acting Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe; the Commissioner for Works, Engr Mustapha Gubio and the Commissioner for Local Government and Emirates Affairs, Sugun Mai Mele.

Zulum inaugurates housing complex for teachers in Mafa

ACReSAL Holds FTC Meeting to Deepen Collaboration on Climate Resilience and Food Security

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the collaborative efforts of the Ministries of Environment, Water Resources and Sanitation, and Agriculture and Food Security, remains committed to combating climate change and environmental degradation, with the ACReSAL project yielding tangible results in restoring degraded lands and promoting sustainable livelihoods in the semi-arid region of the country.

This resolve was emphasized during the Federal Technical Committee (FTC) meeting of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project, held at the Federal Ministry of Environment in Abuja. The meeting was attended by the Permanent Secretaries of the three implementing ministries, key Director Generals, Directors, and other ACReSAL Project stakeholders from federal ministries, departments, and agencies to review the project’s progress and examine its Annual Work Plan for the upcoming implementation year.

Delivering the opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr. Mahmud Adam Gambari, described the gathering as a defining moment in Nigeria’s pursuit of environmental sustainability and community resilience.

“As we confront the realities of climate change, drought, and food insecurity, our shared vision through ACReSAL is transforming into concrete action,” he said. “This plan embodies our collective responsibility to restore degraded lands, strengthen livelihoods, and secure a sustainable future for millions of Nigerians.”

From the agriculture sector, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, reaffirmed the ministry’s full support for the project’s objectives.

“The ACReSAL project aligns perfectly with our mission to strengthen food security through climate-smart agriculture,” he stated. “By promoting drought-tolerant crops, soil restoration, and improved farming practices, we are empowering smallholder farmers and building resilience in rural communities. Together, we can ensure that our agricultural sector continues to thrive despite environmental challenges.”

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mr. Richard Philaangwa, highlighted the project’s critical role in protecting Nigeria’s water ecosystems and improving sanitation standards in semi-arid regions.

“ACReSAL offers a comprehensive approach to managing our fragile water systems,” he noted. “Through watershed rehabilitation, sustainable irrigation, and rainwater harvesting, we are not only preserving water resources but also enhancing public health and agricultural productivity. Our ministry remains committed to providing the technical leadership necessary to advance water security across the country.”

Following the remarks by the Permanent Secretaries, the National Project Coordinator (NPC) of ACReSAL, Abdulhamid Umar, delivered a presentation on the project’s current status and impact across the participating states.

He noted that ACReSAL’s interventions are technologically driven and encompass afforestation, reforestation, ecosystem restoration, erosion and flood control, livelihood initiatives, climate-smart agriculture, water management, capacity building, policy development, strategic catchment management planning, institutional strengthening, and environmental education initiatives—all geared toward long-term impacts and sustainable environments.

Mr. Umar revealed that so far, the project has restored over 800,000 hectares of degraded landscapes. He added that civil works have reached an almost completion stage in some states.

He further stated that out of the wide range of impactful activities implemented in the state, 8,708,291 persons have benefited from the project intervention, with 4,120,649 being women.

According to him, ACReSAL has successfully addressed numerous environmental challenges, including those that once plagued communities in the Nguru Wetlands and Hadejia axis of the Northeast—now cited as classical examples of the project’s transformative impact.

The Permanent Secretaries commended the collaboration among the three ministries and stakeholders, stressing that the FTC’s recommendations would be forwarded to the Federal Steering Committee (FSC), chaired by the Honourable Ministers of Environment, Water Resources and Sanitation, and Agriculture and Food Security, for approval.

The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project seeks to mitigate the impacts of climate change in northern Nigeria by restoring degraded lands, improving water management, increasing agricultural yields, and promoting sustainable livelihoods.

The meeting concluded with a collective call for continued inter-ministerial synergy to ensure that ACReSAL delivers measurable benefits to communities most affected by desertification, drought, and land degradation.

In a show of courtesy, the committee paid a visit to the Hon. Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, at the end of the meeting, which took place at the Ministry of Environment Headquarters, Abuja.

ACReSAL Holds FTC Meeting to Deepen Collaboration on Climate Resilience and Food Security