Middle Belt leaders reject Nigeria's national ranching pilot scheme

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has rejected the Nigerian Federal Government’s proposed pilot ranching scheme under the New National Livestock Policy. The forum described the initiative as an “audacious attempt” to seize lands belonging to ethnic communities in the Middle Belt region.

Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, announced that the pilot program would target Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, and Taraba states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), using the Wase Grazing Reserve in Plateau State as a model. The SMBLF questioned why the scheme is concentrated in the Middle Belt when vast, sparsely populated lands are available in the far North.

The forum leaders, including representatives from Afenifere, the Middle Belt Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), stated they do not oppose modern livestock production. However, they criticized the “opaque, coercive and discriminatory manner” of the policy, alleging it favors nomadic Fulani herdsmen. The group has demanded full disclosure regarding land acquisition, ownership structures, beneficiaries, and funding sources.