The Nigerian State and the Management of Farmer-Herder Conflict: An Evaluation

Abstract

The paper evaluates the role of the Nigerian state in handling the phenomenon of farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria. This is against the backdrop of the prevalence of the conflict amid the apparent government lethargy in dealing with the situation over the recent years. By way of a qualitative analysis of secondary data, the paper posits that the response of State and Federal governments towards resolving the herdsmen-farmers conflicts have been anything but weak, feeble and complacent. Hence, the conflict has intensified and had also become more widespread, frequent and utterly destructive. The paper observes that the deployment of security agencies to at-risk communities is usually belated in total neglect of early warning signals, while the policy initiatives so far being considered have not been operational in spite of the urgent need for implementation. The paper submits that while the efforts of the states that have anti-open grazing laws in place are commendable, there is need to have a holistic policy that will check the conflicts in all the states of the federation through the concerted efforts of the federal government and other non-governmental stakeholders