SMBLF Rejects Federal Livestock Policy, Warns Against Alleged Takeover of Middle Belt Lands

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has rejected a proposed Federal Government livestock policy, alleging that the plan could lead to the takeover of ancestral lands belonging to communities across parts of the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria.

The forum said the proposed pilot areas include Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), raising concerns over the ownership, acquisition and future use of the affected lands.

In a statement signed by Oba Oladipo Olaitan, Leader of Afenifere and Chairman of the SMBLF; Dr Bitrus Pogu, President of the Middle Belt Forum; Senator John Azuta-Mbata, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide; and Ambassador Godknows Igali, National Chairman of PANDEF, the group questioned why the initiative was being concentrated largely in the Middle Belt.

The leaders stressed that they were not against modern livestock production, ranching or the development of Nigeria’s livestock value chain. Their objection, they said, was to what they described as a lack of transparency and a process they believe could unfairly favour nomadic Fulani herders at the expense of indigenous communities.

The SMBLF argued that the Land Use Act of 1978 does not give the government unrestricted authority to take community land. The group said any acquisition must comply with the law, including provisions relating to customary rights and overriding public interest.

The forum also raised concerns that the proposed ranching scheme could eventually become a permanent settlement arrangement for nomadic pastoralists. It linked its concerns to previous initiatives such as RUGA and cattle colonies, which generated strong opposition in parts of the country over land ownership and settlement issues.

The leaders called for the Federal Government to disclose the proposed ranching locations, the legal framework for acquiring the land, the size of the areas involved, funding sources, ownership arrangements, intended beneficiaries and security implications.

Until those details are made public and the rights of affected communities are protected, the SMBLF said it would oppose the proposed scheme in the Middle Belt and Southern states. The forum also urged communities and governments in the South to prepare to resist any attempt to acquire their lands under the livestock development programme.