The Delta State Government has said that it will be hiring 120 State Livestock Management Officers in order to handle conflicts between farmers and herders and guarantee smooth farming operations throughout the state.
In order to close the gap on hunger and improve the nation’s food security, Mr. Val Arenyeka, Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, announced this on Thursday in Asaba.
“As a state, we initially recruited 50 SLMOs and are now engaging an additional 70 officers to monitor farming activities across the 25 Local Government Areas,” Arenyeka said, clarifying that the matter of criminality and the herder/farmer crisis are under the purview of the federal government.
“I think the people involved in the herder/farmer issue are criminal elements posing as herders, and the federal government needs to address these issues,” he went on.
The Commissioner underlined that everyone must engage in farming, including journalists, in order to overcome the present food scarcity and ensure food security.
He emphasised that Nigerians should feed themselves rather than rely on foreign nations, noting that agriculture has changed from manual to technology-driven ways. Earlier, in accordance with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E. Agenda, Comrade Ifeanyi Olannye, Chairman of the Asaba Correspondents Chapel, urged the Commissioner to investigate and use all resources at his disposal to achieve food security and employment creation.
He went on to say that the state’s empowerment program, which is run by the Ministry of Agriculture, will include farmers.
In Essence
The Delta State government’s initiative to recruit 120 Livestock Management Officers (SLMOs) to address herder-farmer confrontations is a proactive step towards mitigating one of Nigeria’s most persistent and destabilizing conflicts.
By expanding the number of officers from 50 to 120, the state is signaling its commitment to both conflict resolution and food security.
The herder-farmer clashes, often rooted in disputes over land and resources, have been a significant threat to farming activities across the country, affecting food production and leading to insecurity in rural communities.
The emphasis by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Val Arenyeka, that criminal elements posing as herders are at the heart of the conflict, shifts the focus to the need for better security measures from the federal government.
While the state is making efforts to manage the situation through agricultural oversight, it highlights the broader need for coordinated federal action in addressing rural crime and ensuring that genuine herders and farmers can coexist peacefully.
