Farmer-herder clashes have claimed nearly 3,000 lives and displaced over 300,000 Nigerians between 2018 and 2023, according to data from the Nigerian Security Tracker (2024).
Speaking in Abuja, Farouk Bala of the ‘Youth Against Disaster Initiative’ (YADI) referenced the 2024 Nigeria Watch Report, which recorded an additional 567 deaths linked to such violence across 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory within a single year.
YADI is now urging the Federal Government to accelerate the adoption of structured ranching, describing it as both a national security solution and an economic reform strategy. According to the group, ranching would not only reduce violent clashes but also modernise Nigeria’s struggling livestock sector and unlock export potential.
Bala noted that although official figures show Nigeria’s livestock industry contributes over $32 billion to the country’s GDP, export earnings remain strikingly low. Despite having an estimated 20 million cattle – ranking among the top 15 globally – Nigeria generated only about $172,000 from cow exports in 2024. Live animal exports stood at $1.15 million in 2021, while meat and edible offal exports remained below $200,000.
In contrast, countries such as Brazil earned about $9.3 billion from beef exports in 2024, the United States posted $7.2 billion, Australia generated roughly $8 billion, and Uruguay recorded $2.85 billion through high-quality, traceable beef production.
Bala argued that Nigeria’s weak performance reflects systemic challenges tied to open grazing, poor traceability systems, inadequate cold-chain infrastructure, and limited compliance with international sanitary standards.
He maintained that geographically-defined ranching zones would help shift conflict resolution from violence to legal and mediation frameworks, while settled pastoral communities would improve collaboration with security agencies.
To ensure success, the group is calling for a comprehensive, inclusive, and incentive-driven framework. It also urged the National Orientation Agency (NOA), media organisations, civil society groups, and traditional and religious leaders to coordinate sustained awareness campaigns highlighting the economic and security benefits of ranching reform.
