HERDERS-FARMERS CONFLICT, STATE GOVERNMENT’S INTERVENTION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA: EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT FROM OGBESE COMMUNITY IN AKURE NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ONDO STATE

Abstract

This study investigated herders-farmers conflict, state Government’s intervention, and conflict management in Nigeria. The issues examined include: the causal factors responsible for the herders-farmers conflict; the conflict effects on social economic; various form of intervention programmes that state government embarked on reducing herders-farmers conflict and the level of awareness, extent of the acceptability, efficacy and the inevitable consequences of the intervention programmes. The study used the survey-descriptive research design while four-point scale likert-type questionnaire was employed as the research instrument to elicit responses from one hundred responses chosen using convenience and voluntary response sampling method. The data was analyzed using SPSS Software Version 26. The findings from the study revealed that scarcity of natural resources such as grazing land and water; destruction of crops and farmland caused by the herders during grazing are the major internal factors that caused herders-farmers conflict and the conflict as well has negative effects on socio-economic. The establishment of Amotekun Corps and enacted of anti-open grazing law as parts of the programmes established by the government in reducing the herders-farmers conflict received full awareness and acceptability by all and sundry. The efficacy of these programmes has no doubt significantly reduced the conflict, though; the inevitable consequences remain the huge cost implication of the establishment of Amotekun corps and criticisms from oppositions. The study therefore recommends that Northern State Government should encourage and establish ranching system, trainings, and provide fund and loan at very low interest to herders to enhance cattle business since cattle rearing is their major occupation, which in return will reduce the herders’ migration southward. While in the western part of Nigeria, modern way of rearing cattle – ranching should be made mandatory for the indigenous herders to embrace with the support of the state government as being practiced in other civilized country. In addition, Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Operation Amotekun should strategize another means to complement the efforts of her state security network – Amotekun Corps to combat the security challenges facing the region.