Wednesday 20 April 2016

Saraki seeks to stall trial again, asks judge to disqualify self


Ade Adesomoju, Abuja
The PUNCH can authoritatively report that the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has filed another application before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, to stall his ongoing trial on charges of false asset declaration.
Saraki whose numerous applications seeking to stall the trial had been dismissed by the CCT itself and others including the Supreme Court, through his fresh motion, is asking the tribunal chairman, Danladi Umar, to disqualify himself.
Our correspondent learnt that Saraki, through his fresh motion filed before the CCT on Tuesday, asked Umar to disqualify himself from the trial on the basis that the tribunal chairman is allegedly under criminal investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He alleged in the motion that Umar would likely be biased in the handling of his trial since the EFCC which is allegedly leading the prosecution of the Senate President before the CCT is also investigating the tribunal chairman.
The application was filed before the CCT by Mr. Raphael Oluyede, who has not been part of Saraki’s defence team before the CCT.
Oluyede was the lawyer who filed the case seeking to stop Saraki’s trial but which was dismissed by Justice Abdu Kafarati of the Federal High Court in Abuja last Friday.
The fresh application has not been served on the prosecution in the case.
Punch

The Taylor Grazing Act


Background


Taylor Grazing Districts in 1937
(Opportunity and Challenge: The Story of BLM.
DOI, BLM, 1988. Washington: GPO.)

The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 (43 USC 315), signed by President Roosevelt, was intended to "stop injury to the public grazing lands [excluding Alaska] by preventing overgrazing and soil deterioration; to provide for their orderly use, improvement, and development; [and] to stabilize the livestock industry dependent upon the public range" (USDI 1988). This Act was pre-empted by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA).

Introduction

Approximately 80 million acres of land valuable for grazing and forage crops were available to be placed into grazing districts authorized by the Taylor Grazing Act. To administer these grazing districts, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes created a Division of Grazing with Farrington Carpenter, a Colorado rancher, at the helm. Carpenter held a series of meetings with ranchers and state officials to determine grazing district boundaries. The first grazing district (Rawlins), was established in Wyoming on March 20, 1935; others soon followed. By June 1935, over 65 million acres had been placed in grazing districts. All the established grazing districts are still in effect today.
Secretary Ickes fired Carpenter in 1939 and replaced him with Richard Rutledge. With a new director, the Division of Grazing was renamed the U.S. Grazing Service. Rutledge wanted to establish an effective conservation agency. In order to achieve this, he laid out rules of conduct for his employees. Today, these standards are still the foundation of the Bureau of Land Management's mission. On July 16, 1946, the Grazing Service and the General Land Office merged to form the Bureau of Land Management. Following are some of those principles.
Self Reliance: There is often the tendency upon receiving a tough assignment to push it aside and wait until you can ask the boss a lot of questions concerning the way he wants the job done. This results in procrastination and in a leaning [sic] attitude on the part of the doer. Stand on your own two feet and take responsibility.
Organizational Attitude: No organization can be successful if cliques or jealousies exist. These things tend to retard and to break down the spirit of the organization. Likewise, feuds and personal fights are extremely detrimental and are bound to react upon someone. Troublemakers have no place in the organization. Rating officers must take recognition of such things. The ability to get along with and work with others, and the attitude toward others, are important factors in efficiency determination.
Public Service: Let's get firmly fixed in our minds at the outset that we are public servants, employed by the public and paid by the public from funds provided by taxation in some form. We are responsible to the entire public and are not bureaucratic bosses to work our will upon the public as we see fit.
Sharp Practices: There can be no place in the administrator's thoughts or actions for anything that approaches sharp practices. Stockmen are usually not as well informed as the administrator. Many times they are trusting, depending upon the administrator. There should be no tendency toward scheming or taking advantage of lack of information or ignorance. Your actions should always be square, with equity and fairness.
Mixing: This is somewhat akin to friendliness, although it goes farther. It is very necessary that an administrator mix with or contact all kinds of people, meetings, associations, church groups, and others. Be a part of the community.
Self-Justification: One of the very worst habits that an administrator can fall into is that of trying to justify his actions under all circumstances. If an administrator had made a mistake, the thing to do is to face the situation and correct the action. An administrator can lose the respect and confidence of his users very quickly by adopting an attitude of self-justification.
Capriciousness: The administrator should avoid actions which might be termed capricious. Any funny notion or foolish idea, or snap judgement, may take the turn of capriciousness. Keep your feet on the ground and remember that you are business men [sic], doing business.
Under the current grazing regulations (43 Code of Federal Regulations Part 4100), there are four differences in BLM's administration of livestock grazing on section 15 leases and section 3 permits.

Section 3 of the Act


Section 3 of the Taylor Grazing Act concerns grazing permits issued on public lands within the grazing districts established under the Act. It gave leasing preference to landowners and homesteaders in or adjacent to the grazing district lands. Permits were issued for not more than 10 years.
Base Property Requirements: Base property is land, owned or controlled by a BLM permittee, which serves as the permittee's base for a livestock operation. The land must be capable of producing crops or forage that can be used to support livestock for a specified period of time. Under a section 3 permit, the base property does not have to adjoin the public lands being used for grazing livestock.
Domestic Use Grazing Permits: Section 5 of the Taylor Grazing Act and the grazing regulations made provision for the issuance of free subsistence grazing permits on public lands inside a grazing district. There was no similar provision for free domestic use or subsistence grazing on the section 15 lease lands.
Distribution of Grazing Receipts: Receipts from grazing on section 3 lands are distributed three ways: 50% goes to range betterment projects, 37½% remains in the US Treasury, and 12½% is returned to the state. In Wyoming, the 12% is administered by thegrazing advisory boards established under Wyoming Statutes 9-571 and 9-572.

Section 15 of the Act

Section 15 of the Taylor Grazing Act concerns issuing grazing leases on public lands outside the original grazing district boundaries. It states that "The Secretary of the Interior is further authorized, in his discretion, where vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved lands of the public domain are so situated . . . . to lease any such lands for grazing purposes, upon such terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe . . . ."
Base Property Requirements: As described under "Section 3" above, base property is land, owned or controlled by a BLM permittee or lessee, which may serve as a base for a livestock operation. The land must have the capability to produce crops or forage that can be used to support the livestock authorized for a specified period of time. The base property supporting a section 15 grazing lease must adjoin the leased public lands unless no applicant owns adjoining lands. In most cases, the base property for a section 15 lease adjoins, surrounds, or is intermingled with the leased public lands.
Preference Lease Rights of Isolated Tracts: The Taylor Grazing Act and the current regulations provide for giving a preference to applicants having base property which adjoins or corners the public lands they apply to lease. The preference right to lease the whole tract is given where the public lands consist of isolated tracts embracing 760 acres or less. This lease preference is available for a period of 90 days after the tract has been offered for lease.
Domestic Use Grazing Permits: Under Section 15, no provision for free domestic use or subsistence grazing on the section 15 lease lands is made.
Distribution of Grazing Receipts: The receipts from grazing on section 15 public lands are distributed two ways: 50% goes to range betterment projects and 50% is returned to the state. In Wyoming, the portion returned to the state is distributed back to the counties in which it originated under state statute 9-570.
From 1934 to 1968, grazing use on the 16 million acres of Section 15 public lands was authorized under 10-year leases. Grazing fees were assessed on an acreage basis. Lessees were required to pay the lease regard-less of whether or not they actually had livestock on the leased lands. No provisions were made for refund or nonpayment due to drought, fire, or other factors.
In August 1968, regulation changes were implemented to place the Section 15 public lands under "multiple use management" (43 CFR 4125.1-1). Key changes made to the regulations are as follows.
  1. Allowed for joint use of the leased area by two or more lessees.
  2. Prohibited locked gates or other actions by the lessee to prevent or interfere with lawful public use of the public land.
  3. Established a framework for cooperation between BLM and lessees to develop allotment management plans aimed at improving resource conditions.
  4. Established construction standards for fences and other projects constructed by the lessees to assure multiple use objectives were met.
  5. Changed grazing fee charges from an acreage basis to payment for forage consumed as measured by animal unit months (AUMs).

Federal Land Policy & Management Act of 1976

The Federal Land Policy and Management Policy Act of 1976 (FLPMA) was passed to establish policy for managing BLM-administered public lands. To ensure long-term stability and use of BLM-administered public lands by the live-stock industry, FLPMA authorized 10-year grazing permits and required a two-year notice of cancellation. The Act also directed grazing advisory boards (formed under the Taylor Grazing Act) to guide the BLM in develop-ing allotment management plans and allocating range betterment funds.
Unlike the Taylor Grazing Act, FLPMA did not distinguish between grazing permits and leases. In sections 401 through 403 of FLPMA, which deals with grazing management on the public lands, the term "permit or lease" appears over 25 times together and never as only "permit" or "lease." The clear intent of Congress is that BLM's grazing administration on all public lands be consistent for both permits and leases.
The BLM's grazing regulations were changed in July 1978 to eliminate separate sections addressing admin-istration of section 3 permits and section 15 leases. This made the regulations consistent with the language of FLPMA in that no distinction is made between permits and leases.

Selective Management Policy

The BLM's selective management policy is used extensively in administering grazing leases. The selective management policy requires that BLM apply its limited workforce and budget to those lands providing the greatest potential for improvement and public benefit. Grazing allotments are separed into three management categories: "I" (improve), "M" (maintain), and "C" (custodial). Generally, leases consisting of small, iso-lated tracts of public lands are managed custodially. BLM's major emphasis on the custodial leases is with var-ious administrative actions such as billings, lease renewals, and transfers. On the larger blocks of public land that offer the best opportunity for multiple use management initiatives, BLM works with the grazing lessees to take actions or authorize uses to achieve various resource management objectives. In other words, the BLM's management and administration of custodial or "C" category allotments is similar to the old (pre-1968) section 15 leases. Administration of grazing on the larger blocks of public land in the "I" and "M" categories is similar to administration of section 3 permits.

Standards & Guidelines

Standards for Healthy Rangelands and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management became effective August 21, 1995 in accordance with the Department of Interior's final rule for grazing administration. The development and application of these standards and guidelines are to achieve the four fundamentals of rangeland health outlined in the grazing regulations (43 CFR 4180.1). Those four fundamentals are: (1) watersheds are functioning properly; (2) water, nutrients, and energy is cycling properly; (3) water quality meets state standards; and (4) habitat for special status species is protected.
Standards address the health, productivity, and sustainability of the BLM administered-public rangelands and represent the minimum acceptable conditions for the public rangelands. The standards apply to all resource uses on public lands. Guidelines provide for, and guide the development and implementation of, reasonable, responsible, and cost-effective management practices at the grazing allotment and watershed level. The guidelines are management practices that will either maintain existing desirable conditions or move rangelands toward statewide standards within reasonable timeframes.
The standards for Wyoming were developed in cooperation with the Wyoming Resource Advisory Council, the State of Wyoming, and BLM staff. The BLM's current selective management policy serves as a base for the allotment review along with other allotment priorities. Over time all grazing allotments will be addressed for standards and guidelines.

Grazing Regulation Changes

Other changes that became effective August 21, 1995 that occurred with the Department of the Interior's final rule for grazing administration are:
  • Management of the public lands in section 3 and section 15 are now the same.
  • The distribution of grazing fees remains the same as it was under the Taylor Grazing Act.
  • Leases are issued for section 15 and permits are issued for section 3.
  • Livestock being leased from/or pastured for someone else are subject to a surcharge.

‘The Development of the Gas Sector Should be made a National Priority’


Alhaji Sadiq Adamu
Nigeria is ranked seventh among gas nations in the world and number one in Africa. Oil and gas experts believe that Nigeria could even earn more from full utilisation of gas resources with a sound investment policy. ExxonMobil one of Nigeria’s biggest oil and gas companies recently appointed Alhaji Sadiq Adamu as Executive Director and General Counsel. In this interview with May Agbamuche-Mbu and Tobi Soniyi, the lawyer, author, poet and playwright expounded on a wide range of issues including Nigeria’s untapped gas potential, renewable energy resources, why the PIB is not the panacea to Nigeria’s oil and gas problems and ExxonMobil’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives and local content policy.
Congratulations on your appointment as Executive Director and General Counsel of ExxonMobil. How do you intend to combine these roles effectively?
Accept my gratitude for your kind wishes. Up North in Wukari Taraba State my hometown, the people are celebrating the appointment. The combined roles of General Counsel and of Executive Director not just in one, but three different companies would, on the face of it, look daunting. The responsibilities will require me to play the lawyer-entrepreneur roles at the highest levels of corporate governance. I have been nurtured in the ExxonMobil culture of self-reliance, self-improvement and calculated risk-taking for more than twenty years; enough time for the process to reconstruct me for the job. The companies say I am ready and I have rolled my sleeves ready to evolve. I am a true seeker of knowledge, my seniors on the Boards are consummate teachers and the environment is conducive.
After the global recession new corporate governance codes emerged placing more emphasis on stricter compliance with reporting standards, this has led to the general counsel playing a more central role in compliance and risk-management in many companies. In your opinion how can the General Counsel meet with these high expectations?
This is already a norm in ExxonMobil. We are glad that global corporate governance culture has evolved to align with the ExxonMobil legal compliance traditional demands. Our hope is that the compelling need for what the company has preached for so long will become more and more manifest and gladly embraced as to be normative in all business environments. The GC is traditionally the company’s chief compliance officer. Whoever holds that responsibility ought to be primed to rise to the occasion, if for nothing, to justify the significant investment in his training both formal and on the job. There are no two ways about it. Daily work life in ExxonMobil is an experience in consistent continuous improvement.
Usually tensions exist between General Counsel and External Counsel due to a difference of objectives and organisational orientation. How would you advise General Counsel to overcome this challenge?
I believe it should be second nature for a GC to communicate effectively. That should be his/her first tool of trade. He/she has to be a good listener, one who listens more than he/she speaks. When you listen, you encourage defences to be lowered, and when you communicate clear appreciation of the other’s viewpoint, you affirm the relevance of the other’s contributions and both help to engender productive engagement. Communicating expectations in an atmosphere protected by attorney-client privilege should be relatively simple. Effective communication has done wonders for us. Ask the law firms that work for ExxonMobil. That’s what makes us different and it should work for everyone.
The non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), is a major cause of concern for stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director, NNPC Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, recently stated that the country was losing over $15bn annually as a result of the non-passage of the PIB. In your opinion what other consequences does the Nigerian Economy face as a result of the non-passage of the PIB?
Is the problem really with the PIB? I think it is time for Nigerians to ask one fundamental question – what is wrong with the existing laws that the PIB is intending to replace? I do not think anything is fundamentally wrong with the current legal regime. But let’s take a look at what investors require in order to invest in any country and these are things we take for granted in this country. Investors need stability in policies and laws to evaluate opportunities and make investment decisions. They also require respect for contract sanctity. Investors require security of lives and property. Many factors are taken into account before making any investment decision and if you change the rules midway, this will cause problems to the investor and his perception of the country as a hospitable investment destination. If an investor comes into the country and partners with any person, be it a private company or a government corporation, the expectation is that the partner will be able to respect commitments made, pay its own share of the cost of doing business. If this does not happen, you create an unnecessary burden on the other party. The perennial JV funding gap means that a significant number of viable projects cannot go ahead. The consistent JV funding gap is constraining the growth of our industry. These are issues we need to address and this can be done without necessarily having to pass a new law. Speaking personally, the often touted idea that the PIB is some kind of magic wand, the panacea of all of the industry’s challenges appears overrated.
The dwindling oil prices indicate that Nigeria has to develop a strategy to attract foreign investment into the Nigerian economy. What can the government do to encourage foreign investors?
It is about what I talked about earlier. We need to devote energy to creating an enabling business environment in this country. We must be conscious of the fact that investment funds are scarce and there are many destinations competing for investment. So we must offer an investment proposition that is attractive to the investor. The starting point is by asking ourselves the question why should an investor come to invest in the country instead of going elsewhere? This question, should, in my opinion, be of topmost priority. We should then put in place sweeteners that will attract investors to come to Nigeria instead of going to other competing countries. The common traits shared by jurisdictions that successfully attract foreign investment are stability of fiscal regime and the strong observance of the rule of law. Long term investments require long term planning and these require clear and stable fiscal regime, laws that are enforced and a business culture that defends sanctity of contracts. We must learn to do the things that others like Singapore, South Korea and Brazil have done. There are no two ways about it. This is more so in the face of evolving global economic trends; low crude oil prices, the bourgeoning cost of deep-water operations (Nigeria’s prime opportunities at the moment), the emergence and the appeal of alternative energy sources and so on and so forth. We must put forward investment policies that will attract new investors while encouraging those that are already here to stay.
Nigeria has a clearly defined Renewable Energy Program, under the direction of the Federal Ministry of Environment, however these energy sources are far from being proliferated on a commercial level by any means to near becoming alternatives to the use of Petroleum Energy sources. At what point do Oil producing countries like Nigeria, Venezuela and Angola need to begin to focus on renewable energy sources? What is the future beyond oil for Nigeria?
The global dependence on oil is quite broad and general; it traverses every facet of known economic activity. The alternatives are increasingly gaining traction. Nigeria has huge potential for renewables. It will interest you to know that Nigeria is essentially a gas domain; our crude oil potential is relatively minuscule when compared to our natural gas resources. The government’s investment in natural gas is so paltry. Countries like Qatar are significant global players. Everyone else in OPEC has integrated its hydrocarbon industry reaping considerable earnings from the economies of scale and the abundant multiplier economic effects like ample employment opportunities and industrialisation. Natural gas development is a low hanging fruit for Nigeria. With the kind of international oil companies presence in Nigeria all that is needed is very attractive gas development terms and the country will open up. All the big players are already here.
Specifically, a large part of the advantage Nigeria obtains from working with International Oil Companies such as Exxon Mobil is the knowledge and expertise that they bring to host nations. The transfer of knowledge and capability to Nigerian workers and the Nigerian labour force serving these IOCs is an imperative for the future growth and development of the industry, so what specific programs do IOCs operate to enable such transfer of knowledge and capabilities in support of the Oil and Gas industry?
The company has a global program for this initiative and it is very helpful to Nigeria and other countries. Currently, most of the workforce in Nigeria are Nigerians trained by ExxonMobil. The expatriates are paired with Nigerian understudies as required by Nigerian law. These are candidates to replace the expatriates when they are sufficiently trained for the required skills set. And we have been hugely successful in doing this. About 96% of our work force here are Nigerians who are trained by a small percentage of expatriates that have been brought in for that purpose. There are also many Nigerians posted to various ExxonMobil affiliates throughout the world either on development or work assignments to broaden their experience. I was a beneficiary of this initiative having worked with the company in the US, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait before returning to Nigeria in 2000. I and other Nigerians were also part of the Global Leadership Development Program, a program for a select few employees from affiliates all over the world handpicked for global leadership positions. Any person working for ExxonMobil in Nigeria is trained for capacity to work anywhere within the ExxonMobil world. That is a practical reality that many of us are privileged to be part of.
In spite of efforts by past governments to address the restiveness in the Niger-Delta, the crisis remains unresolved. ‎How would you advice government to handle this issue?
The Federal Government of Nigeria and the relevant state governments are doing what they can to address the issues of the Niger Delta region. These are complex issues and there are no easy solutions. Initiatives such as the amnesty program is intended to assist in addressing the problem. But like all things, there is room for improvement. As a servant of the law, I am inclined to prescribe adherence to the law on occasions where responsibility and entitlement jostle for prominence. But I also remain mindful of the political dimension of conflicts such as this. In societies where adherence to the rule of law is normative, the law would compel governments to address the excuses that led to the insurgency. Ours is a fledgling democracy and like all fledgling democracies we need time to grow our feathers.
Conflict in the Niger Delta, incessant attacks on Oil pipelines, and whole regions contaminated by oil spills or destroyed by fires from Gas Flaring are all symptoms of failed collaboration between IOCs, the Government and local communities affected by the exploitation of Petroleum Crude. It goes without saying that the successful operation of IOCs’ activities in these affected areas requires the support and cooperation of local communities and so how should IOCs approach the delicate balance involved in the exploitation of crude oil and its harmful environmental effects on host communities?
I think we need to debunk the widely held misconception in this country that oil production is synonymous with environmental despoliation. That is far from the truth. Oil companies do not set out to damage the environment. Indeed, oil development is carried out in line with applicable environmental laws and standards and international best practice with close monitoring of the regulatory agencies.
Now to be honest, we do have some challenges in the process. There can be facilities upset or other challenges that may happen in the process of oil production. Our company is set up with processes and capabilities to manage those upsets and challenges in such a way that will limit impact on the environment.
For us in ExxonMobil, commitment to environmental protection is of topmost priority irrespective of where we operate in the world. We consider this as a licence to operate issue. We will rather not carry out an operation if it cannot be done safely. We comply with Nigerian laws and international best practice in our operations. Every employee knows the importance attached to the environment and safety and the reminders are so common place and frequent it is imbibed and has become second nature. So it is not correct to assume that oil development is tantamount to environmental damage. That point must be made clearly. To the other question, I must say that we recognise communities as important stakeholders in our operations. NGOs and other stakeholders are advocating corporate social responsibility and operators are listening. Significant resources are deployed to host communities’ development with appreciable results. The improvement in derivation funds, the creation of the Niger Delta Development Corporation and the Ministry of the Niger Delta are positive government initiatives to enhance government’s presence in the region. Hitherto, the only government the communities saw were the IOCs and their contractors in their midst. We need a collaborative approach in addressing community issues. Both the government and the IOCs need to engage more with the communities for dialogue and grassroots buy-in to programs. Such engagements will create an opportunity for host communities to better understand our operations and present a feedback opportunity to assist in planning and coordinating future programs. As they say, “Jaw-jaw will always help avoid war-war.” Concerning operational safety and environment, the regulatory agencies need to focus more on enforcing compliance with standards of the law particularly in those areas where those standards are flouted.
Good Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives are necessary to boost, the relations between oil companies and the community in which they operate. What are your company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives?
ExxonMobil is a pioneer in corporate social responsibility in Nigeria. In fact we are very proud of our record of achievements in corporate social responsibility. I will just mention a few; Since 2005, we have spent N2.5Bln Naira on Nigerian women in initiatives such as Global Women in Management and Women in Management Business and Public Service; We have spent over N19Billion in the fight against malaria which has benefitted over 105 Million Nigerians, including 30,000 pregnant women. The company has been actively supporting host community development from the inception of its operations in Nigeria. It is one of the company’s key policy objectives. Over the years, the company has built primary and secondary schools, sponsored thousands in Nigeria and overseas through tertiary education scholarships, and has youths’ apprenticeship programs for technical skills acquisition. These are in addition to building infrastructure such as roads, drainages, hospitals, community centres, sporting and recreational facilities, and providing access to portable water in many rural and urban communities. Corporate social responsibility is an annual budget item for ExxonMobil in Nigeria. Just visit any of our host communities you will see physical evidence dotting the landscapes. As you will know, our effort in this respect has been widely recognised in the country. Just last year, ExxonMobil affiliates in Nigeria were voted the 2015 Best Company of the Year in CSR by the Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERAs). The Company also received the awards for Best Company in Poverty Reduction and Best Company in Infrastructure Development. We are the first Oil and Gas company to have achieved this feat in Nigeria!
Nigeria is estimated to have about 188 trillion standard cubic feet (SCF), of gas reserves, making Nigeria the nation with the seventh largest gas reserves in the world and number one in Africa. What reforms should be introduced to the gas regulatory framework to enable us effectively harness our natural gas potential?
Like I said before, Nigeria is essentially a gas country. The government needs to incentivise natural gas development to attract the required investment. Similar to crude oil development, natural gas monetisation is capital intensive. You need to attract the guys with the big pockets. To do that you need to create the right investment climate. For example, the Joint Ventures have gas development terms. That may be why we have huge revenue earning ventures like the Mobil NGL project in Bonny Island and the like. These are developing associated gas produced with crude oil that would have been flared. Actual gas fields onshore, in shallow waters and giant fields deep offshore are all ready for development. The government needs to create development terms and the time for it is now. As you may be aware, natural gas is the energy source of the future. In fuelling electricity alone, it is a product with universal demand. Just imagine the existing global demand for electricity and its exponential growth daily. The demand is there and it is huge. Natural gas has other uses not commonly known like fertilizers manufacturing, polyethylene for the manufacture of plastics, insecticides and other pesticides, pharmaceuticals as well as additives in the manufacture of many things like cell-phone parts, automobile parts, aeronautics, cosmetics, electrical appliances and so on and so forth. To crown it all, the big players in the global industry are already here. Just roll out the drums and the dance will begin. So what we need here are some catalysts to kick start a revolution in the sector. Also, we need gas terms for PSCs. Billions of cubic feet of gas are locked in there simply because there are no gas terms to monetise them.
The Nigerian Content Act was passed to increase the participation of indigenous oil companies in the oil and gas industry. Despite this development indigenous oil companies still struggle to navigate the challenges that exist in the oil and gas industry. How do we ensure that indigenous companies are given the opportunity to grow?
To my mind, the Nigerian Content Act creates the best opportunity for Nigerians to participate in the oil and gas industry more than any other legislation in recent times. It provides local companies an opportunity to participate in the sector and helps them develop the necessary skills to service the industry. The intent of the law is laudable, but may require tweaks here and there. One critical issue is access to capital by smaller companies. In our particular case, we are committed to the promotion of local content development. In the last couple of years, we awarded contracts worth over N230Bln with Nigerian content value exceeding N120Bln and provided local contractors access to over N1.4Trn. We remain committed to pioneering feats in local content development and this feat was recognised by the award to ExxonMobil as the Best Company in Local Content in Nigeria from Businessday Newspaper last year. In my view, the opportunities are there, low hanging fruits to be plucked. Nigerians can also look to other jurisdictions with similar legislation like Saudi Arabia to borrow a leaf on how to maximise the opportunity. There must be significant focus on building capacity in terms of support infrastructure and skilled manpower. Both cannot be wished away if success is the ultimate objective. Nigerians must hunker down and build capacity. They must attract foreign partners with proven performance records and surround them with Nigerian understudies, approach things with the humility of the true seeker of skills, the mechanic apprentice and allow for a significant gestation period for the skill sets to mature. I mean both the skills in enterprise management and the technical knowledge. We have no option but to sweat it out like others in the developed world did. That penchant for instant gratification must be thrown out the window. This is a multibillion dollar industry with globally established safety and performance standards.
Analysts predicted that oil prices would drop to as low as $‎20 per barrel. Could this mean we have not seen the worst in terms of dwindling oil prices?
This is anybody’s guess. But I know that oil is a fungible commodity, an international product whose price is influenced by geopolitics, economics, weather, war, shipping and simply by periods of contango and backwardation. In my view, looking at the last thirty years of prices of oil, the current price phenomenon may be cyclical. It appears to happen every ten years or so. The prices may recover but not even a seer can tell you precisely when this would happen.
Stakeholders in the oil and Gas Industry have stated that the decline in oil price provides Government with a unique opportunity to diversify its revenue base and reduce dependency on oil. What other viable sources of Public revenue do you believe are as yet untapped?
There are many. I can reel out the numbers; natural gas development, hydroelectricity, solid minerals, agriculture, the education industry. Take the last one for analysis. If the government grows the courage to make primary and secondary education free and compulsory, domicile a portion of government export receipts in Nigerian banks to support University study loans for all eligible Nigerians, all the major Universities in the world will have campuses in Nigeria. A huge percentage of the population will be educated. Everything in the country will change; our politics, respect for the rule of law, universal economic empowerment, even the way we appreciate each other. The opportunities are varied and attractive. Again, to make this happen, one cannot emphasise enough the importance of adopting appropriate investment policies and laws that will make the economy investor-friendly and open all of these to very active participation by both foreign and local investors and entrepreneurs.
The President Muhammadu Buhari stated at the 6th African Petroleum Congress and Exhibition that it was unacceptable for Nigeria to be responsible for 23 billion cubic meters of the 40 billion cubic meters of gas flared annually in Africa, and promised to partner with the legislature to ensure the signing of the United Nations Agreement of “Zero Routine Flaring by 2030”. ‎What steps should government and stakeholders take to achieve this goal?
The government must invest in natural gas monetisation the way it has invested in crude oil development. Indeed the development of the gas sector should be made a national priority. There are salient issues that must be addressed here. Nigeria must set attractive gas development terms for both the backbone infrastructure that support gas, resolve the lingering JV funding issue, provide efficient and effective regulatory framework for timely, transparent and efficient approval of projects, ensure contract sanctity as well as independent and fair dispute resolution mechanisms. Right now, the price of gas is being regulated. There will be need to deregulate the sector. These will help energise the sector for investments. The resources are there. So are the big players and the thirsty markets. Flared gas will turn to cash gas literally tomorrow. The only missing puzzle is the appropriate enabling environment. It may interest you to note that the ExxonMobil companies in Nigeria have achieved a less than 10% flare out rate within the past 10 years.
The Federal Government has repeatedly stated that it plans to remove fuel subsidy. What is your view on the removal of fuel subsidy?
I fundamentally believe that prices are determined by market forces. Having said that, I also recognise that there are more complex issues at play in this instance, and that the government will, ultimately, make the right decision.
Corruption is often blamed for our inability to use revenue generated from the oil industry to develop the country. This is referred to as the “Resource curse”. How can we introduce accountability and transparency in the use of national revenue to overcome this curse?
To me, we need to deal with the issue of integrity in this country from a very basic level. We need to preach the importance of integrity from the family level to our schools and to every strata of our society. Any society or institution without integrity and ethics is doomed. If we want to get out of our present quagmire, we have to go back to our roots, the values of integrity, ethics and hard work. These are fulcrums which the founders of our nation held dear. This will percolate down to every strata, be it in the management of our national resources or any other thing. There is no other way. Also, we must show that those who go against these values are punished to serve as a deterrent to others.
International Arbitration is favoured by stakeholders in the oil and gas industry because of its speed and the confidentiality of proceedings. However parties including Nigerians choose London and Paris as seats for arbitration. Being a Director at the Lagos Court of Arbitration, what steps can be taken to make Nigeria an attractive seat for arbitration?
For starters, we all need to encourage enhanced respect for the rule of law. That is a general statement that dovetails into the issues of insecurity, judicial interference with arbitral awards and processes, greater respect for sanctity of agreements, easy enforcement of awards, just and fair consideration of arbitral disputes and so on and so forth. On the specifics, ADR is a global phenomenon that is gradually but surely outstripping litigation in the settlement of commercial disputes. Nigeria needs specific focus on ADR through concerted investments in support infrastructure, training for arbitrators and support staff and above all a cultural shift that encourages ready acceptance of the finality of arbitration awards. Lagos Court of Arbitration is a bold statement in that direction. The facility is state of the art, affiliation is widespread in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt. Recently, judges from Ghana and South Africa came snooping around for membership. Very soon the quality of services will further advertise the facility globally and that will attract the kind of attention London and Paris have coveted for so long. We will get there. I am certain of that. LCA is a starter; an excellent foundation for ADR in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.
You were the President of the Contemporary Literature Society of Nigeria and Writers’ Drama club and also authored many books including “The Man Alone”, “The Way of the Mustard Seed” and a play “Were I to Surrender”. You are also a distinguished poet and your sonnet “Muffle the Nightingale” was published in the contemporary edition of the English Pageant of Longer Poems and your other poem “Walking between Raindrops” was well-received. Being a successful lawyer, what inspired you to venture into the arts? What is your opinion on the relationship between law and literature?
Law and literature are conjoined twins. Literary artists and lawyers sculpture arts on the canvass of words. Relying on the power of superior argument, an advocate creates and defines reality in a perspective that did not exist before. He creates a lurid picture, sells it to an audience and persuades acceptance. That is his trade. A literary artist uses creative imagination to fashion a reality that his audience appreciate profoundly. He uses the power of words to evoke an imaginary reality that captures perception and persuades acceptance as real. Both are artistic users of words to persuade. Let me use one example each from Lord Denning, MR a beacon of the Law and William Shakespeare the doyen of the arts. Denning said this about literature, “Of all the things in which the wise excel, nature’s CHIEF MASTERPIECE is writing well”. Permit me to paraphrase Shakespeare playing the lawyer in the words of Portia (Merchant of Venice) – ‘mercy drops like gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath it. It has double blessings. It blesses him that gives and him that receives it. It is a finer ornament of a King than his crown for it is the quality of God Himself. Earthly power comes nearest to God’s when mercy is mixed with justice. As we pray for mercy, that same prayer should teach us show mercy’. Therefore, where the artist is meshed in a lawyer, you have convergence. Both the lawyer and the literary artist are in the trade of NATURE’S MASTERPIECE.
You are also actively involved in the activities of various associations and clubs such as the Harvard Club of New York, the Harvard Alumni Association of Nigeria and the International Bar Association and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). What can the NBA do to encourage the participation of its members at all levels?
The Military did their things and passed Decrees the whole nation was compelled to abide by, with no contribution from anybody. We have a democracy now and the Constitution allows citizens’ contribution to legislation. The NBA should take that opportunity to develop Legislative Advocacy as a practice field. There is no reason why the NBA should not contribute position papers on every legislation before all legislative houses in Nigeria. Social media presents a veritable tool for promoting social change. The NBA should harness its potential maximally, joining issues with other stakeholders on issues such as ethics, good governance practices, promotion of arts and culture and general awareness on the workings of the Constitution. We need to actively participate in our democracy, sponsoring bills and representing interest groups in advocating legislation over things that matter to the common man. The NBA also needs to spearhead the development of indigenous commercial agreement precedents as guides to legal drafting. Lawyers must also learn to give back to the society; social responsibility – endowments in support of education; support for girl-child education, sponsoring chairs in law faculties. We need to be more visible promoting national integration, patriotism, and encouraging debates on topical issues that emphasise a common faith in the Nigerian enterprise. We have played backbenchers for too long, encouraging persons at the bottom of our social pyramid into positions of leadership and then we sit back and complain how bad things are in Nigeria.
ThisDay.

REPORT ON THE PROCEEDING OF “THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON “SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES OF PASTORALISM IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA”







SUBMITTED TO
 






OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
THE PRESIDENCY, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA










JULY, 2014

Contents                                                                                          Page
Title Page                                  ---------------------------------------------------
Abbreviations                            ---------------------------------------------------  ii
Executive Summary                  ---------------------------------------------------  iv
Introduction                              ---------------------------------------------------
Terms of Reference                   ---------------------------------------------------
Objectives                                 ---------------------------------------------------
Opening Ceremony                   ---------------------------------------------------
Opening Remarks                      ---------------------------------------------------
Goodwill Messages                   ---------------------------------------------------
Declaration of Conference Open ----------------------------------------------
Closing Remarks                       ---------------------------------------------------
Plenary Session                         ---------------------------------------------------
Paper Presentation          ---------------------------------------------------
Observation                              ---------------------------------------------------
Recommendations                     ---------------------------------------------------
Conclusion                                ---------------------------------------------------
List of Appendices                     ---------------------------------------------------
Communique                            ---------------------------------------------------
Paper One                                 ---------------------------------------------------
Paper Two                                 ---------------------------------------------------
Paper Three                              ---------------------------------------------------
Paper Four                                ---------------------------------------------------
Paper Five                                 ---------------------------------------------------

Paper Six                                   ---------------------------------------------------
         
Paper Seven                              ---------------------------------------------------

Paper Eight                               ---------------------------------------------------

Interactive Session                   ---------------------------------------------------

List of Participants                     ---------------------------------------------------

ABBREVIATIONS

1.     ADB                     - African Development Bank
2.     ATA                      - Agricultural Transformation Agenda
3.     AU                        - Africa Union
4.     CBOs                    - Community Based Organisations
5.     CORET                  - Confederation of Traditional Herder Organizations’
6.     CSOs                    - Civil Society Organisations
7.     DFID                    - Department for International Development
8.     ECOWAP               - ECOWAS Agricultural Plan
9.     ECOWAS              - Economic Community of West African States
10. EU                        - European Union
11. FAO                      - Food and Agriculture Organisation
12. FMARD                 - Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
13. FULDAN                - Fulbe Development Association of Nigeria
14. GDP                      - Gross Domestic Product
15. GIS                       - Geographic Information System
15. IDP                       - International Development Partners
     16. IFAD                     - International Fund for Agricultural Development
     17. IGP                       - Inspector General of Police
     18. LGAs                    - Local Government Areas
     19. MACBAN               - Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria
     20. MBOSCUDA - Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association
     21. MDA’s                  - Ministries, Departments and Agencies
     22. MOFDA                 - Mobgal Fulbe Development Association
     23. NASS          - National Assembly
     24. NSA                      - National Security Adviser
     25. NCNE                   - National Commission for Nomadic Education
     26. NGOs                   - Non-Governmental Organizations
     27. NHRC                   - National Human Rights Commission
     28. NLPD          - National Livestock Projects Division
29. NGO’s                   - Non-Governmental Organizations
30. NSRP                    - Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme
    31. NVRI                     - National Veterinary Research Institute
    32. ONSA                     - Office of the National Security Adviser
    33. PARE                     - The Pastoral Resolve
    34. RAIP                      - Regional Agriculture Investment Plan
    35. TOR                      - Terms of Reference
    36. TPI                        - Tabital Pulaaku International
    37. RBM                      - Reseau Billital Maroobhe


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE FINAL REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES OF PASTORALISM IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA
                          
I.       INTRODUCTION:
The National Security Adviser (NSA) concerned by the rising violence and insurgency in the country, and to avoid exploitation of the conflict between pastoralist and crop farmers by violent groups, organized a 3 day “International Conference on Security and Development Challenges of Pastoralism in West and Central Africa” with an interactive session with community leaders and stake holders in all the conflict prone zones. The theme of the conference is “The Role of Pastoralists in Preventing Insurgency and Conflicts for Sustainable Peace and National Security”. The conference was held at Kaduna from the 23rd to 25th June 2014.
The goal of the conference was the development of a comprehensive and widely acceptable strategy for peace, security and stability in West and Central Africa with particular emphasis on Nigeria. The objectives of the conference were to:
1.      Identify key challenges facing pastoraralists and other stakeholders and their consequencies on national security;
2.      Bring actors among the pastoralists, farmers, other natural resource users, the civil society, faith-based organizations, the media and security agencies towards finding a lasting solution to the security challenges associated with pastoralism in Nigeria and other West and Central African countries;
3.      Generate practical and actionable recommendations that will be implemented by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government and other development partners, to improve the pastoralist system of livestock production to stem the aggravating security challenges associated with resource use, resource management, cattle rustling and banditry;
4.      Mobilize all stakeholders to gain the confidence and co-operation of pastoralists and farmers in tackling the menace of terrorism, insurgency and communal conflicts in the country; and
5.      Share common experiences and best practices between Nigeria and the neighbouring countries like Cameroun, Chad and Niger Republics.

II.      THE CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS:
1.          As part of the design to successfully host the conference, the National Security Adviser set up a Planning Committee that worked out the modalities for the organisation, mobilisation and conduct of the conference. To accomplish its task, the Committee invited major stakeholders in government and pastoralists organizations West and Central African regions, Governments of several African countries where pastoralism is practised. In Nigeria, Pastoralists and Farmer organizations, Representatives of ethnic organizations/unions, faith based   organizations, civil society organizations, development experts, professionals in the livestock sector, international development partners and other stake holders were invited.

2.          The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria represented by the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Governor of Niger state and Chairman Northern Governors Forum, the Governor of Kaduna State, the Acting Governor of Taraba State, the Deputy Governors of Kano, Plateau and Zamfara state, Distinguished Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Minister of Water Resources, the Minister of Special Duties, the Minister of State for Defence, Service Chiefs, Head of Para-Military agencies, senior civil servants, members of the Diplomatic Corps,  the ECOWAS Commission, the European Union (EU), the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), International Development Partners, traditional rulers, academicians and other professionals, the media as well as leaders from among the pastoralists and farmers from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Mali and Senegal were all present.
3.          The Conference chaired by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr Akinwumi Adesina, was declared open by the President, His Excellency Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR represented by the Vice President, His Excellency Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, GCON.
III.     PRESENTATIONS:
Eight papers were presented in the 1st and 2nd days of the conference after the opening ceremonies. Case studies of pastoralism in four countries namely: Nigeria, Central Africa, Cameroon and Kenya were also presented and discussed. Resource persons were drawn from high calibre academics and professional groups who are experts in their fields.
IV.     OUTCOME:
1.       Discussions and interaction held at the conference were incisive and revealing. Concerned with the frequent conflict between pastoralists and farmers leading to loss of lives and property, the growing incidents of cattle rustling, the increasing constraints faced by transhumance populations in terms of grazing and watering points, the changing patterns of resource management as well as the growing trends of banditry, terrorism and insurgency, youths unemployment, inadequacy of basic infrastructural facilities such as water and sanitation, human and veterinary clinics, poor funding of nomadic education programme as well as conflict with state actors in the maintenance of law and order, the conference affirmed its commitment to examine and address the dynamics of these issues as well as their security and developmental implications for Nigeria and the West and Central African Regions.
2.       The interactive session also demonstrated the importance of consultation, dialogue, constructive engagement in resolving conflict between pastoralists and farmers as an enduring measure for an amicable resolution of conflict.
3.       The conference also discussed extensively on the challenges of implementing the ECOWAS protocol on Transhumance of Livestock  by member countries and the challenges associated with it due to the porous nature of our borders and limited personnel to man them.
4.       The urgent need for governments at all levels to take positive and necessary measures to pre-empt, manage and amicably resolve conflicts in a timely manner as they occur. The role of Governors, Local Government administration, Judicial officers, traditional and community leaders, youth groups, women groups, religious leaders are germane and important to maintaining law and order, ensure inter-ethnic harmony and restoring public confidence in the sincerity and ability of government to protect the lives and properties of its citizens.
5.       The Federal and State Governments, particularly in the conflict prone states must take concrete steps to punish perpetrators of conflict within the provisions of the law to serve as deterrence to potential offenders.
6.       The apathy on the part of the citizenry to volunteer information on criminal elements poses a serious challenge towards law enforcement. Active community engagement and cooperation in law enforcement is required for peace and stability. Security agencies are to reinforce steps to guarantee confidentiality of information shared. Security agents should design and put in place mechanisms to sustain public confidence in law enforcement agencies and judicial process.
7.       Some of the major causes of the current security challenges arising from conflicts between pastoralists and farmers are:
i)     Inadequate infrastructural facilities for grazing in designated grazing areas/grazing reserves;
ii)    Weak justice system and the tendency to exploit pastoralist and rural farmers by some security elements and judicial officers;
iii)   Inadequate involvement of traditional and community based leaders, as in conflict resolution mechanism;
iv)   An emerging culture of intolerance, hate, bitterness and violence fuelled by political leaders/elites by promoting religious and ethnic sentiments;
v)    Non-implementation of findings/recommendation of previous judicial commissions of enquiry;
vi)   The phenomenon of indigene/settler syndrome that creates animosity and heightens tension between communities;
vii) Failure to support and compensate pastoralists in the face of conflict and natural disasters;
viii)  Inadequate access to qualitative and functional education by pastoralist’s children to acquire vocational skills; and
ix)   Ecological factors, climate change and consequent demographic movements into the geographical zones.
V.       CONCLUSIONS:
a).     The Conference firmly believes that if the recommendations contained in this report are implemented to the fullest, most of the problems as associated with the current security challenges between pastoralist and farmers would be minimized to the barest minimum, if not completely eliminated.
VI.     APPRECIATION:
a).     We wish to extend our appreciation to the President and Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, and the National Security Adviser for hosting the conference.
b).     The Vice President, His Excellency, Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, GCON deserves special commendation for his encouragement and support during the opening ceremony.
c).      We are also grateful to all the Governors, Ministers, Members of the National Assembly, Ministers, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, International Development Partners, the ECOWAS Commission, the European Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization, Traditional Rulers, Religious Leaders, members of the academia, leadership of pastoralist and farmer organization that graced the occasion or sent representatives.
d).     The role of the members of the planning and organizing committee is well acknowledged and commended
e).     The staff of the Conference Secretariat are equally appreciated for their hard work and commitment throughout the duration of the conference for the important roles of taking the proceedings of the conference, which culminated into the preparation of this report.
f).      The leading role played by all the security agencies towards the successful hosting of the conference is gratefully acknowledged and appreciated.

Mohammed Sambo Dasuki
National Security Adviser to the President
2nd July, 2014.



REPORT ON THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES OF PASTORALISM IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA

1.0     INTRODUCTION:
1.1.    In response to the security challenges being encountered in the country especially insurgency in parts of the country, inter-ethnic and inter-communal conflicts and resource use conflicts, the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President, Abuja, Nigeria organized a 3 day International Conference on Security and Development Challenges of Pastoralism in West and Central Africa from 23rd – 25th June, 2014 in Kaduna.
1.2.    The theme of the conference was the “The Role of Pastoralists in Preventing Insurgency and Conflicts for Sustainable Peace and National Security”. The well-attended conference attracted eminent personalities and experts and professional groups from all walks of life. At the opening ceremony, The President, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR was represented by the Vice President, His Excellency, Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo GCON who declared the conference open. Also present were the Honourable Speaker House of Representative; Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the National Security Adviser; Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, Chairman Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Niger State; Dr Muázu Babangida Aliyu, Governor of Kaduna; Alhaji Muktar Ramalan Yero and the Ag. Governor of Taraba State Alhaji Garba Umar, the Deputy Governors of Plateau, Kano and Zamfara States, Honourable Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development, Water Resources, Minister of State for Defence, the Minister of Special Duties, representatives of Minister of Education and Minister of Police Affairs, Service Chiefs and Heads of other security and para-military agencies. The National Human Rights Commission and other agencies of government were also present. International organizations like ECOWAS, FAO, EU, NSRP, DFID/NSRP and others were present or duly represented. Heads of Federal Agencies and Parastatals, the academia, serving and retired military and para-military officers, serving and retired Police Officers, delegations from Cameroun, Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal, Women Groups, Traditional Rulers, the Clergy, Pastoralists and Farmers organizations such as, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), Tabital Pulaaku International, (TPI) Confederation of Traditional Herders Organizations, (CORET) Reseau Billital Maroobhe, , Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association (MBOSCUDA),  Pastoral Resolve (PARE), , Fulbe Development Association of Nigeria (FULDAN), Mobgal Fulbe Development Association (MOFDA) , Kautal Hoore, Tiv, Birom, Afizere, Anaguta, Penada Bwatiye and other ethnic groups.
2.0     OBJECTIVES:
The conference was meant to develop a comprehensive and widely acceptable strategy for peace, security and stability in West and Central Africa. Specifically, the conference objectives were to:
i.     Identify key challenges facing pasotaralists and other stakeholders and their consequencies on national security;
ii.    Bring actors among the pastoralists, farmers, other natural resource users, the civil society, faith-based organizations, the media and security agencies towards finding a lasting solution to the security challenges associated with pastoralism in Nigeria and other West & Central African countries;
iii.   Generate practical and actionable recommendations that will be implemented by MDAs, to improve the pastoral system in order to stem the aggravating security challenges associated with resource use, resource management, cattle rustling and banditry;
iv.  Mobilize all stakeholders to gain the confidence and co-operation of pastoralists and farmers in tackling the menace of terrorism, insurgency and communal conflicts in the country; and
v.    Share common experiences and best practices between Nigeria and the neighbouring countries.

3.0     OPENING CEREMONY:
The opening ceremony witnessed the presentation of speeches and goodwill messages some of which are highlighted below:

3.1     OPENING REMARKS:      
i.        The National Security Adviser (NSA) in his welcome address expressed his appreciation to all the distinguished personalities and stressed that the conference is organized as part of the genuine desire and felt need to urgently tackle the security challenges between the pastoralists and other resource users Nigeria and prevent violent actors from hijacking the conflict to further destabilise the polity. The NSA pointed this is part of the community engagement under the Soft Approach to Countering Terrorism and Violent Insurgencies rolled out by his office.

The NSA further noted that government was not unmindful of the fact that the pastoralists undertake seasonal movements basically in search of pasture, water and to escape from diseases and conflicts. The movements are also influenced by ecological, climatic factors and environmental factors related to their search for livelihoods across countries in the western and central Africa regions. However, the spade of recurring conflicts associated with this tradtionally and culturally known transhumance movements and the wider security implications now calls for collective action to adopt a turn-around strategy by taking a critical look at the challenges and its implications for national and regional security. The loss of lives, destruction of properties and high incidence of internally displaced persons are enormous and government at all levels would not allow this to continue.

The NSA charged participants therefore to discuss and come up with genuine and practicable steps to be taken collectively to address the intractable challenges once and for all to engender national, regional and continental development. He finaly commended The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for blessing the convening of the conference out of his genuine desire to ensure harmonious existence and appreciated the security agencies for their sustained support and collaboration in maintaining law and order.

ii.       The Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina who was the Chairman of the occassion in his speech, noted that the theme of the conference was well thought-out and in tune with Agricultural Transformation Agenda. The Livestock sub-sector is critical in ensuring food security, which can only be attained under an atmosphere of peace and stability. The conference is therefore timely and visionary. He emphasised that transhumance movement was an age-long practice but today the wave of violence associated with it poses a very serious challenge with grevious implications that necessitate a gradual transformation of this mode of livestock production.

The Minister noted that  government recognises the interplay of limiting factors in transhumance ranging from encroachment to inadequacy of infrastructural facilities in existing grazing reserves, blocked stock routes, climate change, desertification, population growth, rapid urbanisation as well as low level of extension services, meant that no meaningful development could be achieved under current system. There is need to continue to transform it into a more viable form. The problem associated with pastoralism he observed was a regional security issue and requires synergy and collaboration with sister African countries to curb the problems. He therefore proposed that the challenges would be minimised if not completely eliminated if the following measures were adopted.
    a.        Transforming pastoralism into an economic venture rather than a way of life for the nomads.
    b.        Use of Global Positioning System and Satellite uplink in tracking the position of animals to check transhumance movement of livestock and apprehend rustlers.
    c.        Undertake biometric registration of transhumance pastoralists with a view to obtaining and keeping a data bank of the groups and herds to aid the issuance of travelling certificate.
    d.        Development of a comprehensive livestock information system and the establishment of more grazing reserves to mitigate clashes between farmers and pastoralists.  

iii. The Kaduna State Governor; Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero who was the Chief Host, observed that the ongoing aggressive urbanisation in most parts of the country had become a major threat not only to pastoralists but also to farmers, leading to a struggle for grazing areas and farmlands. He stated the gathering that the state government had embarked on an  expansion of facilities in the grazing reserves and the provision of veterinary and livestock services and emphasised on the need to integrate the nomads to enhance their invaluable contribution to economic growth and national development. The Governor stressed that it was the responsibility of leaders at all levels to take proactive measures to control and resolve conflicts and commended the Inspector General of Police for setting up the Police Committee for Peace Building. 

iv. The Niger State Governor and Chairman, Northern Governors Forum, His Excellency, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu noted that pastoralists movements were necessitated by the desire to grow their stocks, which also poses serious challenges resulting in violent conflicts. He suggested that far-reaching policy measures needed to be taken to ensure that this movement is always checked and the pastoralists ultimately integrated. Other measures he recommended to be taken by states to address the emerging security challenges arising from pastoralists and farmers conflict, include:
    a.        Grazing Reserves and Stock Routes should be developed by putting all the required facilities to optimise livestock production and also be protected by gazetting and beaconing them.
    b.        Establishment of Ministries of Livestock Development at the state level to specifically handle livestock issues.
    c.        Government should encourage and support pastoralists to own land for the purposes of gradual sedentarisation.
    d.        Government at all levels to embark on mobilisation and advocy among pastoralists and farmers on the need for harmonious co-existence and restoration of the hitherto lost peaceful and symbiotic relationship between the two groups.
    e.        Provision of vocational skills to check over-dependence on livestock as the sole means of livelihood, and that
     f.        The Nomadic Education programme should be re-invigorated and strengthened through adequate funding to deliver on its mandate.    
The Governor condemned the security challenges arising from the wave of violence and stressed that Boko Haram was not synonymous with Islam and thus extremism requires collective action to deal with.

v.  The Honourable Speaker House of Representative in his address commended the Office of the National Security Adviser for organizing the conference and observed that the dimension of conflicts existing today between pastoralists and farmers was too brutal, violent and unheard of in the last two decades. He noted that government could not afford to allow it to continue unaddressed in the face of the numerous challenges and insecurity culminating from insurgency. While herders move around in search of water and pasture for their livestock to improve their livelihoods, the colouration of the conflicts between pastoralists and farmers as religious and ethnic had made the misunderstanding more explosive and too dangerous to be ignored. Considering the fact that the ECOWAS Protocol for free movement of citizens of member countries in search of legitimate livelihoods had been compromised in the face of insurgency, the Hon. Speaker emphasised that grazing reserves and stock routes should be protected to serve as buffer and thus limiting frequent contact between the two groups thereby minimising the incidences leading to displacement of persons and sacking of villages.
On the part of the media, the Honourable Speaker while calling for fair reporting while highlighting the core challenges so as to promote peaceful and harmonious co-existence, he urged stakeholders to critically examine the underlining issues with a view to recommending appropriate measures to curtail the upsurge and dimension the conflicts have assumed.  He expressed the willingness of the National Assembly to make laws in line with the informed recommendations emanating from the conference.

3.2     GOODWILL MESSAGES BY STAKEHOLDERS:
i.        His Royal Highness, the Emir of Zazzau, Dr. Shehu Idris who was represented by the Emir of Birnin Gwari, His Highness, Alhaji Zubairu Maigwari II said the continuous encroachment on grazing areas, cattle routes and watering points were some of the serious factors triggering conflicts between pastoralists and farmers. He then urged traditional rulers to pay greater attention to protecting the grazing reserves and stock routes to curb the incidences of violent conflicts.
ii.       The National President of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria commended the government for having thought of the imperative to convene the conference to discuss the security challenges emanating from the wave of conflicts between pastoralists and farmers. He urged the conflicting groups to learn to co-exist and amicably resolve any conflict by tolerating one another. He lamented that the neglect of pastoralists and pastoralism by successive governments over the years was responsible for the current development and appealed for a greater attention to livestock development.









iii.      The Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Muhammadu Magoro, attributed the escalating cases of violence to migrating pastoralists and expressed the Senate’s great concern about the development and called for understanding and tolerance.  

3.3     OPENING OF THE CONFERENCE:       

His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan who was represented by the Vice President Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, while declaring the conference opened observed that the timing of the conference was auspicious in view of the current security challenges in the country in particular and the West and Central African Religions in general. He acknowledged that pastoralism was as old as agriculture, but that climate change and other developmental challenges had aided in triggering stiff competition for available natural resources.
The President noted that the level and frequency of violent conflicts in some parts of the country was very alarming citing Kaduna, Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa and Plateau states as worse hit thereby constituting serious threat to security and national development. He highlighted that livestock production was a major means of income and wealth creation now being threatened by conflicts and cattle rustling. He emphasised that the agricultural sector had contributed an average of 40% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 2011 and 2012 and currently employing about two thirds of the entire labour force and had sustained its position as the highest contributor to non-oil GDP, by contributing 47.17% in 2011 and 45.49% in 2012 respectively. The invaluable contribution of livestock to the nation’s GDP and national development, he noted were well documented and stressed that livestock breeding needed to be modernised and be seen more as a business that an age- long- tradition to be bequeathed from generation to generation.
The President assured that his administration as part of its transformation agenda will revolutionize and modernize the livestock sector for sustainable development and livelihoods. To this end, he said, the Federal Government had attracted investment for the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) amounting to $88.5m from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and $152.5m from the African Development Bank (ADB). He said dialogue must be used in the resolution of conflicts and assured the conference of the Federal Government’s readiness to address the conflicts associated with pastoralists and crop farmers, which currently formed a serious national security concern. He also pledged government’s commitment to implementing the recommendations from the conference towards the realisation of sustainable peace, unity and national security on the entire African continent. On this note, the conference was declared open.

3.4     CLOSING REMARKS:

The Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Ambassador Umar Farook Ka’oje in his remarks expressed appreciation to the National Security Adviser (NSA) for giving the Committee the opportunity to plan and organise the conference. That members of the Committee saw the seriousness with which the NSA took the matter and therefore they collectively handled the assignment as a call to national duty. He commended the foresight of the NSA in convening the conference in the face of the insecurity problems associated with the wave of conflicts across the country particularly violent conflicts between pastoralists and farmers. He urged participants to support the laudable initiative and take advantage of the forum to table all their perceived grievances to enable the government join hands with all the resource users to arrive at amicable and acceptable solutions to the unfortunate developments.       




4.0     PLENARY SESSIONS:
The plenary sessions were first by presentation and discussion of commissioned papers in line with the conference objectives followed by an interactive session with selected stakeholders. While the former were taken on days 1 and 2 along with the opening ceremony, day 3 was devoted to an interactice session with stakeholders. The summary of the paper presentation are hereby presented as follows:

Paper One:
ECOWAS Strategic Action Plan for the Development of Livestock in West Africa and Cross-Border Transhumance: Implications for Security and Development by Dr. Viviane N. Iwar, Head of the Livestock Development at the ECOWAS Commission, Abuja.
The paper examined the mandate given to the ECOWAS as contained in Chapter IV, article 25 of the ECOWAS treaty which mandates the commission to develop all aspects of agriculture. This was to ensure food security, increase productivity, improve value addition and protect prices of export commodities. The paper further identified and discussed the RAIP goals and various programme as follows:
Regional Agriculture Investment Plan (RAIP)
RAIP GOALS: to modernize the agriculture sector to achieve food security in the perspective of regional integration through the following:
i.        Promotion of strategic products for food security and promotion of sovereignty
ii.            Promotion of an enabling environment for agric-business and agriculture development
iii.           Reduction of vulnerability and promotion of the access to food for vulnerable population
iv.          Governance, coordination and monitoring and implementation of the ECOWAS.
The paper maintain that RAIP programmes are in two categories, that is, RAIP programme I and II, each with expected output towards strategic action for the development of livestock.  

The RAIP programme I
OUTPUT 1.1
To ensure that West Africa is able to meet most of its food needs through the promotion of rice, maize and cassava.
Output 1.2
To achieve regional imports of animal products and by products are substantially reduced through the livestock systems and animal product systems and chain.
Output 1.3
To develop policies and strategies for the sustainable management of fisheries resources are defined and implemented.
RAIP programme II
On this part, it is to ensure that the business environment for agri-food chains are improved throughout the sub-region through the following:
Outcome 2.1
Mmechanisms to help adaptation to climate variability, climate change and integrated management of shared resources are implemented at the regional level.
Outcome 2.2:
Information and decision support system is operational.



Outcome: 2.3
Strenthening the capabilities of regional stakeholders and institutions.
The paper further reviewed the livestock sector in West Africa and made some comparable country analysis with emphasis on Nigeria’s livestock sector as the basis to understanding the transhumance aspect challenges associated with pastoralism.It argues that the livestock sector does the following:
·                    Contributes to food and nutritional security;
·                    Provides livelihood in production, processing, marketing, storage, packaging and distribution;
·                    Is amenable to diversification, provides inputs for industry-organic fertilizer, leather, meat, milk etc.
·                    It is a source of draught power, transportation etc.
Strategic Guidelines
v    Strengthened Veterinary Governance
The paper argues that strengthening veterinary governance has a lot of advantages that is capable of turning around the livestock sector in many ways such as:
ü    Support production;
ü    Promote trade in livestock and dairy;
ü    Improve pastures and protect grazing lands/transhumance routes;
ü    Promotion of public private partnerships;
ü    Strengthening data management, research and training and
ü    Support product transformation through science and technology.


EXPECTED RESULTS
·        The promotion of the livestock, meat and dairy sub sectors is expected to achieve the following:
·                    Improve animal health, access to livestock feed and improve performance of indigenous breeds;
·                    Support security for transhumance and prevent/ resolve conflicts, this is through the development of Trans–border arrangement and controlling transhumance and to promote a regional transhumance;
·                    Structure the animal production sector via organizing and developing commercial activities, promotion of autonomous markets;
·                    Promotion, processing and transformation of livestock products while also promoting livestock intra-regional trade;
·                    Creation of a favourable business environment for the development of livestock, meat and dairy products, all to be achieved through the promotion of science and technology, promotion of insurance and financing schemes and promotion of gender and vulnerable persons involvement in the sector.
Perspective on harnessing Nigerias livestock potentials:
The equally discussed the ECOWAS strategic Action Plan for the development of livestock as it concerns Nigeria. While it identified the gaps in meat and milk within ECOWAS states and Nigeria, it then looks at what the strategic plan advocates for a better improvement by advocating for the following:
·                    A holistic approach to the improvement of the livestock sector, with emphasis on a gradual shift towards semi-intensification and intensification;
·                    The ECOWAS meat and milk value chain analysis report for Nigeria be looked at, with a view to implement the recommendation for suggested models adopted by industry;
·                    The ECOWAS transhumance decision and regulation be effectively implemented by member states;
·                    The use of transhumance certificate be enforced by member state;
·                    Effective and sensible implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement    Protocol;
·                    The implementation of the civilian component of the ECOWAS conflict prevention framework with a programme on facilitation of transhumance for security, that takes cognizance of GIS mapping, early warning and early response, identification of traceability delivery of quality veterinary services;
·                    Continuing participatory, multidisciplinary and inter-agency collaboration; and that since ECOWAS has a market of 300 million people, development of all livestock value chains in Nigeria would be useful for job creation, income generation and reduction of foreign exchange flight on imports.

The paper concluded by saying that a well organized livestock sector among ECOWAS member states has potential to support health and human security, alleviate poverty, create jobs and generate incomes and reduce poverty amongst the people in the region.
Paper Two:

Insurgency, Terrorism, Cattle Rustling: Security Challenges to Pastoralism and Implications for National Security by Barr. A.B. Dikko, Honourable Attorney General of Kebbi State.

The paper began by identifying the UNDP human development report 1994, which presented the concept of human security to mean a broad concept – a process of widening the range of people’s choices. Human security he argues therefore to mean that people can exercise their choices safely and freely – and can be confident that the opportunities they seek today will not be lost tomorrow.
The paper identified two main aspects of human security:
·        Safety from such chronic threats as hunger, disease and repression
·        Protection from sudden and hurtful disruption in the pattern of daily life- whether in homes, in jobs or in communities.
The many threats to human security differing for individuals at different times, fall into seven main categories.
i)             Economic insecurity
ii)           Food insecurity
iii)          Health insecurity
iv)          Personal insecurity
v)           Environmental insecurity
vi)          Community and cultural insecurity
vii)        Political  insecurity
It is important that we bear in mind that pastoralist in Nigeria are not insurgents if we understand insurgency to mean “an act of fighting against instituted authority or the state”
No research/analysis has been undertaken into or of police investigation reports or security reports that will indicate legal challenges as to suggest what legal solution one could proffer for the consideration of a conference such as this.
In examining the security challenges of pastoralism and its implication in national security two of the challenges facing pastoralism today will need to be closely examined.
(a)         Climate change whose major manifestation is recurring drought, and famine, and the trend of this dynamic towards increasing security in duration and magnitude
(b)         Land as a resource: The dominant cause of conflict in relation to pastoralist in the last 20 years has been over access to grazing land and water.
Regional security and pastoralism

Pastoral issues are trans-boundary. Thus when it comes to issue of regional security there are issues that cannot be solved in isolation. There are, for instance, issues like animal diseases, marketing, proliferations of small arms, ethnic conflict etc which are all trans-boundary.

In areas where customary institutions are robust as they do in many parts of Nigeria and West African sub-region, development effort will wholly be best focused on supporting adaptation to new physical and political realities.

Security sector agencies and institution at the national and regional level need to cooperate and work out policies that take into considerations the pastoralists communities and their associations that provide leadership in implementing measures that will counter insurgency, terrorism and cattle rustling.
Recommendations
1)           Review of legislation on land, land use, land control, and development to recognize the rights of pastoralist over land.
2)           Legislation should be enacted on the protection of grazing reserve and cattle routes
3)           State government in Nigeria should establish a separate government institutions that deal with pastoral issues.
4)           There should be separate budgetary allocation to pastoral issues.
5)           Legislation of environmental protection and standards should recognize, reflect and incorporate pastoralist good environment management practice.
6)           Protocols, treaties should be promulgated recognizing regional patrol networks.
7)           There should be ECOWAS patrols on movement of livestock across international boundaries in the region
8)           ECOWAS member states should implement the treaty on the control of small arms and light weapons and
9)           Capacity building for Pastoralist organizations and farmer organizations to adequately represent the interest of their members at local, regional and continental levels.
Paper Three:
Pastoralism and Resource Use: Challenges in Development and Management by Prof. Jerome Gefu;  Executive Director, National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) ABU Zaria.
The potential of livestock to reduce poverty is enormous as livestock contributes to the livelihood of more than two third of the world’s rural poor and a significant minority of semii-urban poor.
The Zebu cattle is known to be the most dominant type found in the North West and North Eastern part of the country. However, due to the effects of climate change in recent years the “cattle belt” has steadily moved from the drier sub arid zone to the sub humid zone of Nigeria. Consequently states situated within the zone have recorded increased presence of pastoral producers in recent times with all the attendant resource-use competition and conflicts associated with land use.
Over 90% of Nigeria’s ruminant population is kept under transhumant pastoralism. This is occasioned by the seasonal alteration in the availability of fodder and water and well as the abundance of diseases including trypanosomiasis in the high risk areas where otherwise fodder and water abounds.
The rate at which pastoral resources are shrinking has precipitated serious conflict between crop and livestock producers. The reason why there has been such incidence of resource use conflict experienced in different parts of the country is associated with the mobile nature of this category of pastoralists. However many of them are settling where the natural and social environment is conducive and supportive of livelihood.
Some of the problems militating against government efforts at promoting livestock production through settled pastoralism include: social cultural beliefs and practice of herders; non regulation of herd/flock size of stock; poor stock marketing system; weak linkages between herders and other stakeholders; poor physical infrastructure; lack of dairy processing facilities among others. Possible solutions are feasible through commercialized pastoralism. This calls for a complete reorientation towards commercial production with a drive for profit making.
Non settling of pastoralists was largely responsible for the current conflicts with farmers and declining productivity of the livestock sub-sector. The situation is often further compounded as a result of weak provision of essential services including extension, veterinary and human health and educational services.
Access to land as a resource has been constrained by a variety of factors, principal among which borders on policy, institutional and legal frameworks that are poorly developed or non- existent hence inappropriate and unenforceable. Large scale investment on land will deprive the farming and pastoralists populations of their land and could lead to worsening food crises as attention could be diverted from staple food production to export crop or fossil fuel production.
The high points of the paper include:
1)           Need for government to embark upon advocacy, mobilization and sensitization of members of the public to recognize the negative implication of conflict and poor livestock productivity in our nation’s economies.
2)           Mobilize and organize the diverse pastoral communities to adopt improved techniques of livestock production.
3)           Need for states and local government to participate in the planning and implementation of an integrated programme for the permanent settlement of pastoralists in their current location in all parts of the state.
4)           There is the need to create and gazette additional grazing reserves.
5)           State governments should strive to implement the 1980 policy that requires states to acquire, gazette and protect 10% of land for the purpose of pastoral production.
6)           Just as much as crop farmers have access to basic needs as well as production inputs, pastoralists should be reached with subsidies in terms of livestock production inputs and marketing outlets.
7)           Government should facilitate secured land access for all persons concerned. The law establishing Grazing Reserves should be enforced to guarantee settlers leasehold so that meaningful investment, such as pasture development could be made by settlers.
8)           Poor extension contact with livestock producers should be addressed.
9)           The local system of conflict prevention and management should be encouraged by formalizing it to get the recognition of the local and state authorities.
10)        Access roads, schools, water, veterinary and human health services should be made available to the residents of grazing reserves.
11)        Communities that were in existence prior to the establishment of grazing reserves (farming communities) should be officially recognized as enclaves and provided for in future plans grazing reserves developments. This will put to rest vexed issue of illegality of the presence of these farming communities.  
12)        Grazing Reserves should be demarcated and allotted to pastoralist along family lines. Such demarcation and allotment will ensure that allottees protect and better utilize and manage patches of land allotted to their use.
13)        Undertake a comprehensive review of all land legislation with a view to harmonizing and streamlining them to better serve the needs of pastoral communities
14)        Establishment of a pastoral relief agency to handle all matters of pastoral distress (emergencies and disasters).
15)        Promote Public Private Partnerships by compelling livestock companies in the state to contribute 10% of income earned into a fund to be named pastoral endowment fund.
16)        States should lend active support to the passage of proposed grazing reserve development bill at the National Assembly.
Paper Four:

Pastoralism, Compensation, Indigene/Settler Dichotomy and Administration of Justice by Prof. Chidi Odinkalu; Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Human Rights Commission, Abuja.

The paper posits that pastoralism as a profession was practiced by a number of ethnic nationalities. Pastoralism as an age long occupation of the nomads could be transformed from the present traditional system into a business or trade to improve income levels of the practitioners. The practitioners are today besieged with a number of challenges in carrying out their occupation. Arising from this are complex issues associated with climate change (desertification), encroachment/outright take-over of grazing reserves areas and stock routes by farmers and elites, indigene/settler syndrome and poor justice system.

The dimension of conflicts arising from the concept of Indigene/Settler dichotomy is alien as the country’s constitution only recognizes citizenship. The profiling of pastoralists who are citizens of the country living in some parts of the country as settlers is limiting their full integration into the communities where they had lived for decades.

The infringement of the fundamental human right of this group of Nigerians is partly responsible for triggering conflicts. These conflicts had degenerated into cycle of violence and were further fuelled by the undertone of religious and tribal colouration by self seeking politicians to advance their selfish interests.

Pastoralists are rarely supported and compensated in the event of losses suffered as a result of natural disasters and violence.









Paper Five:  

The Role of Pastoralist Communities, Associations in Peace Building and National Security: Country experience of Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger Republic and Commonwealth Secretariat
There were four presentations under this paper each looking at different countries, namely: Nigeria, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Kenya as follows:
(A)    The Nigerian Perspective by Prof. Mohammed J. Kuna.
In the past two decades conflict between pastoralists and farmers which constitute one of the most serious national security challenges have become ever more frequent  with enormous loss of life, property and the displacement of thousands of Fulbe pastoralists. While the conflicts are found virtually in all parts of Nigeria, they are more concentrated in the central highland of Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Nassarawa, Kogi and Kwara States
Forces responsible for the continued and expanding conflict include:
·        Increased pressure on land
·        Changing land use patterns due to climatic and ecological factors.
·        Politicization/criminalization of conflict by the political class and criminal gangs.
Peace building efforts showing the importance of community association and informal channels of peace building in conflict management were discussed. Peace and security were described to include wider issues of human security such as health, education, resettlement and reintegration and economic empowerment all of which constitute critical peace building activities.  The role of the pastoralists’ communities and associations in peace building as well as the associated challenges and constraints were highlighted.
The paper concludes by challenging both the state, pastoral communities and development partners to collectively pool resources together to support efforts at creating the conditions for peace through long term sustainable community support projects for pastoralists.
(B)    Central African Experience by Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim
The Central African perspective on the role of pastoralists communities and associations in peace building and national security was discussed from the point of view of the state’s role of infrastructural development, regulation of law and provision of security and the pastoralists response to the extent to which the state has performed its statutory role.
Current crisis around the escalation of conflicts is more of a state crisis than the society, thus solution to crisis should focus considerably on state building.
The weight of the value in form of cattle in the pastoralists makes them highly vulnerable to the crisis arising from state disintegration which is evident in the high profile marginalization and social execution of pastoralists.
Breakdown of state authorities leads to criminality and criminal gangs are known to always look for values which are easily seen and snatched in the wealth of the pastoralists. The pastoralists being targets of criminal actions and in a bid to protect their value, often times revolt against a non performing state by responding to criminal actions fatally.
This most times also result in disintegration of the society and the community. Unfortunately much of the discourse of the conference has been on the pastoralists issues without a corresponding balance with the state’s inability to perform its functions, the consequences of which include the pastoralists response to states collapse.  
(C)    The Cameroon Experience by Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association (MBOSCUDA)
The Cameroon perspective on the role of pastoralist communities and associations in peace building and national security was presented. By the representative of MBOSCUDA which was established in 1992 and seeking to empower the Mbororo Pastoralist to achieve sustainable and equitable development on their terms and to secure their human, social and economic rights as valued active citizens of the Republic of Cameroun.
In response to the increasing conflict between farmers and grazers in Cameroun, a presidential decree was signed creating the Agro-pastoral Commission made up of representatives of government, farmers and grazers with the mandate of managing national lands.
The Commission deliberates on cases of land use and management, farm damages, encroachments etc. and the decisions of the Commission are enforceable by laws via prefectural order.
However, due to the poor funding of the Commission by government, parties in disputes are made to fund the Commission and this has a lot of consequences for justice.
In the light of this, MBOSCUDA promoted alternative conflict resolution mechanism where farmers and grazers are at the centre of events deciding their problems with trusted community members called Dialogue Platform members mediating for an amicable settlement.  This strategy has succeeded in building trust and confidence between people who had lived as enemies for long.
(D)    The Kenyan Perspective/Experience by the Representative of Kenyan High Commission to Nigeria
In discussing the Kenyan experience attention was drawn to the fact that though there is a sizeable population of nomads in the country, crop farmers are given greater attention while pastoralism is given less attention, thus limiting the pace of modernisation of the livestock sub-sector.
The profiling of nomads as lawless and criminals by the security and media without proper investigation is improper and should be addressed. The negative stereotype has projected the nomads in bad light and set most communities against them.


Paper Six:
Gender Dimension in Conflict and Security Situations: The Role of Civil Society by Dr. Hafsat Lawal Kontagora of Nigeria’s Teachers Institute, Kaduna.
Conflicts of great magnitude afflict pastoralists resulting in wanton destruction of life and property. This hinders the actualization of peaceful coexistence and exacerbates the problem of insecurity. Violent conflicts destroy infrastructure, disrupts social ties, diminishes the capacity of society and subjugates them to poverty and strife as vital resources are diverted away.
In these conflict situations, both men and women suffer the consequences severely though differently. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to whether and how the conflicts and security issues affect the two genders differently. There is therefore the need to study the gender dimensions in form of representative planning and policy. The role of civil society organizations in advancing representative security services, gender specific justice, therapy and conflict resolution is worthy of deployment in mediation processes.   
Paper Seven:
Education, Literacy and Vocational Training for Pastoralists: Implications for National Security by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye Executive Secretary, National Commission for Nomadic Education, Kaduna.
The paper described the pastoralists and their ways of life and geographic distribution. It traced the historical development of nomadic education in Nigeria generating discussion on the critical issues pertaining to the programme and the various policy documents the programme implementation is hinged on.
Unfortunately, in spite of governments initiative of establishing Nomadic Education Programme and an agency under the Federal Ministry of Education to manage its implementation, there are constraints bordering on inadequate funding, lack of commitment and support at the state and local government levels. Weak collaboration between the commission and other agencies and ministries with high stake on the development of pastoralism despite the multi-sectoral approach prescribed for nomadic education implementation further constitute a challenge to the sector.  This was hampering speedy and adequate realisation of goals. This neglect, no doubt has serious implication for national security, as education cannot under this circumstance achieve its important role as an instrument for development and national security.    

The systematic implementation of the Nomadic Education Programme since inception utilizing viable strategies and approaches that will enable attainment of programme goals was discussed. The paper contends that integrating nomads into national life through provision of relevant, qualitative and basic functional education can only be achieved through an honest support to the integrated and multi-sectoral approach adopted in the Nomadic Education Model Centre development in gazetted grazing reserves. The Nigerian experience of providing access to basic education to the nomads has already been adjudged the best in Africa evidenced by the study tours embarked upon by countries like Ethiopia and Chad.

Support was advocated among others in the areas of improved funding and strengthening of the multi-sectoral approach in NEP implementation so that relevant sectors in charge of provision of social services can intervene in the reserves carved out for nomadic people to encourage settlement, curtail movements and reduce violent clashes and conflicts with the sedentary population. It contends that unless the education and training problems confronting the pastoralists are considered as part of an integrated development approach of all the sectors concerned, security of lives and properties would hardly be assured.





Paper Eight:
The Role of Media in Shaping Public Perception on Pastoralists, Insecurity, Peace Building and Conflict Resolution by Mr. Segun Adeniyi of Thisday Newspaper.
The paper first defined its task and that is to light a candle in the darkness of national self-doubt and the media’s role in this process. It began by observing that to understand the media and public perception in season of insecurity, requires an understanding of what constitute the media as an institution and what constitutes the sector. Clearly, the media consists of something beyond the specific outlets that deliver news and information. It is so amorphous that it encompasses everything from the universities that train future journalists to the courts that protect their rights. In the broadest sense, the media embraces the television and film entertainment industries, a vast array of regularly published printed material, and even public relations and advertising.
It argued that the mass media serves as a system for communicating messages and symbols to the general populace. It is their function to amuse, entertain, and inform, and to inculcate individuals with the values, beliefs and codes of behaviour that will integrate them into the institutional structures of the larger society.
Adeniyi posited that the "press" is supposed to be a most serious member of that media family, focusing on real life instead of fantasy and serving the widest possible audience. A good generic term for the press in the electronic age is "news media." The emphasis in this definition is on content, not technology or delivery system, because the press can be found these days on the Internet, the fax lines, or the airwaves. The terms "media" and "press" will be used interchangeably in this presentation, being contextually co-terminous.  On the other hand, public perception can be seen as the difference between an absolute truth based on facts and a virtual truth shaped by popular opinion, reputation or even prejudices. To underscore this point, let us look at the challenge of the pastoralists.
The paper further argues that in the normal cause of the day, pastoralists leading their animals to grazing lands and watering points, inevitably trespass on farmlands, damage and destroy crops. This leads to instant retaliation and quarrels which sometimes degenerate into large scale violence, loss of lives and property. Reporting such occurrences require sensitivity while analyzing same requires even more. But when professionalism takes flight in reporting crises, distortions flowing from political, ethnic or religious prejudices take centre stage. Unfortunately, this cannot be denied by media practitioners in covering the tension between farmers and pastoralists.
It was observed that though the media has an enormous responsibility in crisis situation, in every country, it is the responsibility of the leadership to protect the political, social, and economic interests of the citizens. Leadership involves finding solutions to difficult problems, ensuring stability of the polity, and guiding the society to prosperity. But a large number of the political leaders of Nigeria today lack the vision, the passion, and the character to effectively deal with the security challenge confronting us.
In Nigeria, the paper posits, the media are sometimes used as proxies in the battle between rival political groups, in the process sowing divisiveness rather than consensus, hate speech instead of sober debate, and suspicion rather than social trust. In these cases, the media contribute to public cynicism and democratic decay.
The paper recommends that with regards to the challenging security situation, there was need for close of collaboration between the media and the security apparatus of the state. The problem, however, is the perception by security agencies over the years that they have a monopoly of patriotism. The paper also recommends that at a time like this therefore, the media should not yield their platform to hate mongers whose polarizing rhetoric could only push our plural society towards its delicate fault-lines. Collectively, both the media and the government should begin to fashion out the requisite strategies necessary to overcome the human and institutional barriers that for decades have held the country back, with a focus on accountability and good governance. In this age of terror, we have to collaborate to chart a new course and embrace a more productive and cooperative form of engagement.
Day Three
Interactive Session with selected Stakeholders, Active Community Leaders, and Delegates from Conflict Prone zones (Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Benue, Bauchi, Plateau, Nassarawa, Zamfara State and other states.
An interactive session was held with selected stakeholders, active community leaders, and delegates from conflict prone states namely; Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Benue, Bauchi, Plateau, Nassarawa, Zamfara States and other states. In the course of the interactive session, key issues and problems responsible for conflicts between pastoralist and other resource users were discussed extensively.
The summary of the issues raised and discussed were as follows:
1.            Inadequacy of grazing reserves/areas coupled with encroachment of existing grazing reserves and blockage of stock routes.
2.            Non enforcement of grazing reserve and stock route laws.
3.            Killing and maiming of pastoralists by vigilante groups and bounty hunters.  
4.            High incidence of banditry, cattle rustling and the fear of infiltration of violent elements who may use the occupational conflicts between pastoralists and farmers to further destabilise the body polity.
5.            Allotting of grazing reserves areas by government officials for other uses detrimental to pastoralists.
6.            Alleged indiscriminate arrest, detention and extra judicial killings of pastoralists by security agents on the allegation that they are terrorists and insurgents
7.            Discrimination against pastoralists and lack of access to basic infrastructural facilities and denial of access to support and stigmatisation as settlers in some communities and states.
8.            Abduction, sexual abuse, demands for ransom and killing of pastoralists women are regular occurrences.
9.            Lack of support and compensation for affected pastoralists in times of crises and natural disasters.
10.         In adequacy of qualified teachers for provision of quality tuition to nomadic children.
11.         Extortion of pastoralists and denial of justice by law enforcement agents
12.         Diminishing carrying capacities of some grazing reserves areas due unavailability of pastures arising from over grazing and advancing desertification from climate change. Denied of access to Fadama areas because of the introduction of dry season farming.
13.         Labelling of fleeing pastoralists from conflicts and insurgency as insurgents thereby resulting in unjust detention and persecution.
14.         Influx of undocumented transhumance pastoralists who are unaware of the cropping seasons in different ecological zones.
15.         Insecure land tenure, blockage/encroachment of stock routes and grazing areas.
16.         Pastoralists involvements in accidents on the high ways in the course of migration due to blockage of stock routes and exposing them to motorists demand for damage to repairs.
17.         Lack of early warning and response system to conflicts.
18.          Politicisation of pastoralists and farmer’s conflicts by the elites
19.         Erosion of traditional ruler’s powers in conflict resolution resulting in extortion of pastoralists by other intermediaries.
20.         Influx of refugees and the resultant over stretching of existing facilities.
21.         Pastoralists lack of access to education and social services  
22.         Kidnapping of pastoralists and demand for ransom before release

6.0    OBSERVATIONS
Arising from the extensive discussion of the papers presented as well as the comments raised major observations were made. These include:
1.            There is an upsurge in conflicts between pastoralists, farmers, and other groups engaged in other forms of production resulting in violent conflicts, loss of lives and properties.
2.            There is the urgent need to take pro-active measures to  address the exploitation of conflicts between natural resource users by other violent actors to destabilize the peace, economic stability and security of the country and the region;  
3.            The tranhumance production system is the main source of livelihood to a majority of the people of West and Central Africa and contributes greatly to the economy of these regions. This system is now under threat from a complex of factors, climate change, population growth, ecological, economic, cultural as well as political factors.
4.            The various initiatives and interventions by governments in Nigeria in the pastoral and livestock sub-sector to address developmental and security issues have not been fully successful. This  necessitates the need for new structural and better alternative approaches to addressing the broad issue of human security for pastoralists;
5.            The growing incidence of wrong perception, misrepresentation and stereotyping of pastoralists and pastoralism in  public discourses, which goes a long way to shaping a negative image of the pastoralists;
6.            Government, the pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, farmers, other natural resource users, civil society, organizations, faith-based organizations, prominent community leaders, women and women groups, the youth groups,  traditional institutions and the media, have major and strategic roles to play to ensuring the transparent administration of justice and the peaceful resolutions of disputes through mediation and advocacy between pastoralists and their neighbours.

7.            Some States in Nigeria have evolved a community-based “all involved” alternative dispute resolution mechanism that has successfully relied on community-based justice systems to resolve conflicts between pastoralists and farmers. 
8.            National agencies responsible for development, education, literacy and vocational training programmes of pastoralists play crucial roles in the development of pastoralist communities as well as in ensuring national security. 
9.            There is need for Nigeria to get on board regional and continental livestock development plans to develop the livestock to realise its full potentials.
10.         Despite the fact that conflict and insecurity affects men and women, little attention has been paid to the gender dimension of the impact and resolution.
11.         There is inadequate media engagement in understanding pastoralist issues. 
16.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
Arising from these observations, the conference recommended as follows:
i.                That the State, Local Governments, CSOs, traditional institutions. Leaders of pastoralist and farmers should be involved in peaceful resolution of conflicts and effective and transparent administration of justice to achieve an enduring peace between pastoralists and farming communities hence the need to replicate the Gombe and Enugu State peace building efforts in other states.
ii.                The police should be proactive in recognising and addressing security challenges involving pastoralists so as to avoid the manipulation and hijacking of the situation by violent actors which could further exacerbate the security challenges.

iii.                Nigeria should buy in to the ECOWAS Commission Livestock Strategic Action Plan for the Development of Livestock in West Africa which includes the  ECOWAS Transhumance Certificate and strengthen the regional Livestock trade as well as implement the Transhumance Protocol and Regulations, and the Protocol on Free Movement of Goods and Persons.
iv.                The need for Federal Ministry of Information, the National Orientation Agency and other agencies to create a platform to re-orientate the print and electronic media on the need for balance reporting of crisis and conflict involving pastoralists and farmers.  It has become imperative to have media outfit with national outlook to balance the sensation and overzealousness of private and foreign media stations.
v.                The need to revisit the establishment and management of Grazing Reserves systems with a view to gradual establishment of ranches with improved livestock practices for quality.  Introduction of livestock tracking and biometric registration of pastoralists as well as the creation of cross-border buffer zones and development of a new satelite technology for mapping out carrying capacity to sustain both the environment and monitor the infiltration of pastoralists by insurgents and criminals.
vi.                Diverse pastoral communities should be mobilized and trained to  adapt to modern and improved techniques of livestock production that will encourage sedentrization. This also requires the expansion, acquisition and making of the State governments to gazette and protect all grazing areas/grazing reserves in their States and Local Governments.
vii.                Review and strengthen the relevant other related Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), towards the literacy programmes, education and vocational training for pastoralists for easy mobilization towards modernizing the pastoral sector.
viii.                Conduct studies to generate data on gender dimensions in conflict and security situations among the pastoralists to aid planning and policy formulation as it affects conflict resolution, gender specific justice, therapy and compensation.
ix.                Nigeria should collaborate with her neighbours in areas of  information sharing concerning pastoralists movements to enhance security.
x.                States and LGAs should be more responsive to the needs of pastoralists, farmers and other natural resource users to prevent and resolve conflicts and security matters.
xi.                Given the interconnections that the pastoral production system, the Conference called for a comprehensive livestock sector review to identify, plan and implement short, medium and long term programmes that can address some of the inadequacies in the sector and integrate pastoralists into modern production systems and the market.

17.0  CONCLUSION
The Conference was timely and a well thought out plan towards solving the security challenges between the pastoralists and farmers in West and Central Africa generally and Nigeria in particular. Participants were not only highly impressed by the level of organization and coordination but the logistics were supportive that made it entirely a remarkable success
Drawing participants from all works of life including the high and low in the society with the single aim to discuss a common problem, the resource persons were highly informed in their chosen profession. The discussions were frank and open and far reaching, which informed flexibility and participation to the fullest. Almost every participant left with satisfaction and their hopes were raised to high levels that this time, government is not only willing but committed to solving the problem associated with the pastoralist/farmer conflicts which is now taking a dangerous dimension in Nigeria and the West and Central African regions.
The conference appreciated and commended the Federal Government, the National Security Adviser; for successfully organizing and holding the conference. The conference if the recommendations proffered are implemented to the fullest, most of the problems associated with the current security challenges between pastoralists and farmers would not only be minimized to the barest minimum and the risk of violent actors hijacking or radicalizing elements in the resource use conflict will be eliminated.

Dated at Kaduna this ………..day of ……………………………….2014.