President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive urging herders to end open grazing, surrender illegal weapons, and adopt ranching has sparked criticism from Nigeria’s opposition parties. Labour Party, African Democratic Congress, and Peoples Democratic Party spokespersons told Sunday PUNCH that the administration’s approach relies heavily on rhetoric and overlooks the country’s complex security realities.
The directive accompanied the launch of a national livestock policy aimed at reducing farmer–herder conflicts and curbing rural violence. The initiative, under the newly established Ministry of Livestock, encourages herders to cooperate with security agencies while transitioning to ranching.
Opposition figures, however, warned that the policy oversimplifies Nigeria’s security challenges. They expressed doubts about the government’s plan to recruit 30,000 additional police officers, citing inadequate infrastructure, training, and equipment to support the expansion.
Addressing the state of existing police forces, one critic highlighted practical concerns: “Even the existing policemen, you need to see how they count bullets to give them. So, a lot of very terrible things are going on. When they make this kind of statement, I doubt if the President is even aware of the depth of the decay. You’re building an army when the war has already started.” Overcrowded barracks, insufficient ammunition, and under-equipped personnel were cited as immediate obstacles.
The debate comes amid renewed school abductions in Niger and Kebbi states and violent clashes between farmers and herders in the North-Central region, which have claimed hundreds of lives in recent months.
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