In Kaduna, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) have launched a unified initiative to resolve conflicts and promote peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders.
This effort is supported by the NEEM Foundation and Hope for The Village Child Foundation, which have been working to reduce tensions in Kaduna communities [1).
According to Lydia Ishaku Gaku, Vice Chairman of AFAN, the initiative has brought relative peace to Chikun and Kajuru Local Government Areas (LGAs) in recent years.
Gaku credits the NEEM Foundation and Hope for The Village Child Foundation for improving relationships between herders and farmers in these areas.
In his remarks, the Secretary General of Miyetti Allah Cattles Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Kaduna state Chapter, Muhammed Abubakar Bako, said that before the arrival of NEEM foundation, the herders and farmers crisis was at the peak, causing disunity among natives.
Bako admitted that the ‘Protecting Our Community Initiative’ by the NEEM foundation has strengthen peaceful coexistence among the people.
Felding questions from the journalists, the District Liaison Officer, Aliyu Mohammed, said that the initiative seeks to address key issues such as grazing practices and security challenges that contribute to conflicts between farmers and herders.
“Their collaboration, which began with a joint debriefing and planning meeting, aimed to revitalize traditional practices and ensure that peace structures were adopted at the community, local government, and state levels,” Mohammed said.
Meanwhile, in their seperate remarks, the Agom Kufana, His Royal Highness, Titus Dauda and the Emir of Kajuru, Alh. Alhassan Adamu respectively said that the initiative has reduced tension in their localities in the last few years due to the intervention of NEEM foundation and Hope for The Village Child Foundation, which was supported by the Karuna Centre for Peace.
The high point of the event was the planting of trees at the palace of Agom Kufana and Emir of Kajuru, which signifies the symbol of unity and progress.
