Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Reject Ranching Scheme

On August 27, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) publicly rejected the Federal Government's proposed pilot ranching scheme, which targets parts of the Middle Belt, including Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna, Taraba, and the Federal Capital Territory. The forum, led by Chairman Oba Oladipo Olaitan, President of the Middle Belt Forum Dr Bitrus Pogu, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide John Azuta-Mbata, and National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum Ambassador Godknows Igali, expressed alarm that the initiative could facilitate the takeover of ancestral lands under the guise of livestock development.

They urged Southern governments and communities to prepare to resist any attempts to extend the policy beyond the pilot areas. The Federal Government claims the ranching initiative aims to modernize Nigeria's livestock industry and address farmer-herder conflicts.

However, the SMBLF criticized the program's focus on the Middle Belt, questioning the lack of similar initiatives in the sparsely populated far North.