Benue State governor Samuel Ortom says the nomadic System of animal husbandry is archaic and should be discarded, urging the British government to support the development of ranching as the official method.
The governor who made this remark while he received the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, noted that while ranching is being practiced in developed countries, animals especially cattle compete for space on roads, schools and airports in Nigeria, a scenario he described as hostile to development.
He explained that attacks on Benue communities by militia herdsmen had inflicted deep pains on people and government of the state with thousands displaced and infrastructure destroyed.
Earlier, Laing said that she was in the state to get first hand information on the farmers and herders crisis and how the British government could intervene to ensure lasting peace in the state.
According to her, the British parliament had been following the development closely including alleged persecution of Christians in the country, even as she said the Britain would also assist in exploring the agricultural potentials of Benue State and others along the riverine areas.
