Tiv Proffessionals Reject Grazing Areas,Demand Compensation For Victims Of Crisis.

A Tiv group in Lagos known as Tiv Proffessionals Associations are opposing the creation of grazing reserves in Benue they are equally demanding for compensation for Benue crisis victims.
They vehemently opposed the creation of grazing reserves by the Federal Government as a solution to the farmer-herder crisis.TPA also called for the proper assessment of the economic loses and lives lost from the attacks on Benue communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen and their mercenaries. TPA estimates the economic loses to be in excess of N10 billion and over 1,000 locals killed by the suspected Fulani herdsmen in Tiv communities in Nasarawa and Benue State and some parts of Idoma speaking areas.

 The attacked local governments in Benue include Gwer West, Gwer East, Guma, Logo, Kwande, Katsina Ala, some parts of Makurdi and Agatu local government areas.TPA in the communiqué issued at the end of the TPA meeting in Lagos, and signed by the President, Dr. Bem Vangerwua, states: “The call for the establishment of grazing routes /reserves across country as a solution to the intractable herder-farmer crisis. This solution is archaic, unsustainable and must be discountenanced. The best solution, and the modern /civilized solution is for herders to acquire land and build ranches for their cattle. This is more practical and more economically viable for animal husbandry as the animals would have more access to quality care. “This would make them even yield better and even the keepers would have better access to facilities. Good news is that with technology and robust irrigation, ranches can thrive anywhere in Nigeria, even in the desert north.“Also, the northern states, with the best of dams in Nigeria should put the dams to adequate use.“The affected communities and persons affected in the attacks on Benue and Nasarawa communities should be adequately compensated and their lives rebuilt and rehabilitated immediately so they can go back to their lives.“TPA demands that the appropriate government agencies at the state and federal government should visit all the affected villages and document properly the number of those that died and the economic loses to those communities so that proper compensation can be paid.” The communiqué also called for the investigation into alleged use of chemical attacks on Benue communities. “The lackadaisical attitude from the FG in investigating the alleged chemical attacks on locals in Benue State is worrying. We urge the state government which has taken the initial initiative to investigate the occurrence, to expedite action to ascertain the veracity of the allegation. TPA also calls on the UN to step in the gap and investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons on defenseless Benue citizens”. TPA also condemned these rather unprovoked and rather premeditated attacks on the hapless Benue communities.In fact, some parts of Guma and Gwer West/East had been sacked and some of the villages occupied by the Fulani invaders and their sponsored mercenaries, the group stated. Tiv villages in Taraba and Nasarawa were also sacked. The Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, had on Friday inaugurated a technical committee on grazing reserves in Nigeria. According to the minister, the committee would work out modalities for establishing additional grazing reserves across the country to forestall future clashes between herdsmen and farmers.But TPA said grazing reserves won’t solve the perennial herder-famer crisis across Nigeria but would rather exacerbate it as there would be recurring conflicts from time to time.