A PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF RURAL GRAZING AREA (RUGA) SETTLEMENT IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Nigerian livestock industry is largely dependent on natural vegetation. Although there is vast hectare of natural vegetation in the country they are not maximally utilized due to poor planning and conflicting government policies. It was estimated that there are over 40 million hectares of grazing land in Nigeria, out of which only 3 million hectares are specifically tagged as grazing reserves (Kemi,1967; Adegbola,1982). These grazing reserves are areas set aside primarily for livestock production and were established under the Northern Region Grazing Reserves Law

of 1965 (Nuru, 1988). It was earlier recognized that over 90% of the nation’s livestock (excluding  pigs and poultry) are in the hand of transhumance and nomadic pastoralist, although there are growing number of settled livestock owners and agro pastoralist (Calder bank, 1991). According to Ezeomah (1987), in the past pastoralist did not make any serious effort to acquire lands largely because of their conservatism, independence and abundance of grazing lands. However, in recent years increased crop cultivation associated with other land needs due to the rapidly growing population has created serious pressure on many traditional grazing areas. These and other related problems have made the pastoralist to start seeking for the lands to settle for at least wet season. Ruga Settlement that seeks to settle migrant pastoral families simply means rural settlement in which animal farmers, not just cattle herders, will be settled in an organized place with provision of necessary and adequate basic amenities such as schools, hospitals, road networks, vet clinics ,markets and manufacturing entities that will process and add value to meats and animal products.The research project presented illuminating discourse and assess the Ruga policy under General Muhammadu Buhari regime.

CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION

Background to the study

The implementation of Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) settlements, the latest plan by thePresident Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to put an end to a recurring conflict betweennomadic herders and farmers has been met with considerable outrage from Nigerians. Ruga is noother thing than a measure in ethnic domination and conquest, it seeks to create a new territory forFulani people all over the Nation, this might not be about cattle in any way

 

The concept of providing grazing lands for the uses of livestock can be traced to the traditional grazing ground “Hurmi” which were the areas of land at the vicinity of the towns and villages throughout Northern Nigeria (Nuru,2010). However, as the need of more farmland arises due to increasing human population, the available “Hurmi” and their connecting “Burtali” (Cattle Path) continue to decrease and their carrying capacity deteriorated. An attempt to preserve and restore their potential was undertaken by sowing better seeds in the late 1950’s around Kano and Katsina, but without legal status to prevent encroachment (Nuru, 1978; Suleiman, 1988). In recognition of the growing problem of diminishing grazing land in the late 1950’s, the forestry authorities were approved and an agreement was reached that grazing in certain forest reservescould be allowed in order t o provide the wet season “mashekari” for the pastoralist and indeed as a measure to avoid ever increasing farmers’ pastoralist clashes of wet season (Nuru, 1978; Ekpere,1984 and Calderbank, 1991). Consequently, the forest reserves at Wase, kukar-Jangarai, Zamfara-Anka, Udubo and Falgore were selected. The Federal Government and International Agencies likeUnited State Agency for International Development (USAID) provided the staff, technical trainingand financial assistance. Control grazing in these fores t reserves was started in the early 1960’s

(Nuru, 1978) however, the need to protect and improve the grazing areas and stock route and to understand the pastoral system was recognized by the colonial government in the early ‘50’s.

 

(Awogbade,1982; Ezeomah,1987). According to Nuru (1978); Suleman (1988) and Lamorde(1997), the first attempt to change the scope of nomadism in Nigeria dates back to 1901, when a very devastating drought occurred in some part of Northern Nigeria. The idea to encourage nomads to settle was first made in 1942 and the first trial settlement was at Riyom near Jos, Plateau State

 

To encourage pastoralist to settle, each herding household unit was allocated a piece ofland, encouraged to practice mixed farming and develop pasture areas. The plan did not last long because it was over-run by tin mining operations. In 1954, the World Bank reviewed the nature of pastoralism in Nigeria. In the review, it noted that range grazing practices was a seriousimpediment to livestock development and modernization. It further recommended that settlement or what is referred to as “stabilization” was the most important factor in the expansion and modernization of production. Three proposals were advanced for immediate developments. These were establishment of grazing reserves to be protected by law; provision of land rights to the pastoralist and the development of communal villages in grazing reserves as a means of bringing livestock into peasant agriculture. In 1965 these recommendations were passed in to law. The law allowed for a minimum 10% of the country’s land area to be legally acquired and constituted into grazing reserves for lease allocation to grazers. Presently, out of 299 proposed grazing reserves in the former Northern States and Abuja totaling to 2.3 million hectares, only 23 have been gazetted covering a total of just over 500,000 hectares

 

Fulani pastoralist constitutes a small but distinct cultural group wherever they are found in Nigeria. They share common feature and speak the same Fulfulde language with dialectical variation, but the truth of the matter is that the Fulani People hardly eat cow meat as they know   it’s not healthy for human consumption the true meaning of Ruga is they are more at home withlean meat. The Fulani indisputably represent a significant component of the Nigerian economy.They constitute the major breeders of cattle, the main source of meat, the most available and cheap source of animal proteins consumed by Nigerians. The Fulani own over 90% of the nation’s

livestock population which accounts for one- third of agricultural GDP and 3.2% of the nation’s

GDP (Eniola, 2007). Furthermore, the contribution of the Fulani to the local food chain and national food security cannot be overstressed. The Fulani, with their dominance in the Sahel region, are the best known and most numerous of all the pastoral groups in Nigeria. The traditionaland unique Fulani encampment (ruga) consisting of temporary structures made of stalks, closelyknit family members and livestock is the natural habitat of the orthodox Fulbe settlement (Eniola,2007) (Eniola, 2007)

 

It is estimated that about 30% of the Nigerian pastoralist are fully settled, 50% are semi-nomadic and only about 20% are truly nomadic. The semi nomadic group practice transhumance.They send out cattle to the areas of greener pasture during dry season and return to base “Mashakari” during the set season. The nomadic groups are continuously on the move according to the state of pastorage or food supply and have no fixed address (ILRI, cited by Lamorde,1997).In semi-nomadic and nomadic animal husbandry system, livestock can be sustained throughout the year enabling them to utilize crop residue, avoiding localized overgrazing and buildup of parasitic diseases (Calderbank,1991). This singular factor and other socioeconomic reasons are the main causes of migratory movement of pastoralist not only in Nigeria but throughout sub-Saharan Africa (Awogbode, 1982). Although the movement of the pastoralist is determined by the onset of wet or dry season, pattern of farmland under cultivation and access to market for the disposal of   milk by the pastoral women; clashes and conflict between the arable farmers and pastoralist is ever increasing.

 

 

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Effectiveness of budgeting as a management tool in the public sector

ABSTRACT

The major focus of this work is targeted towards the effectiveness of budgeting as a management tool in the public sector. The critical analysis was carried out to examine the impact of budgeting in the public sector and the work tool its bearing to look into issues concerning budgeting and how it has played a significant role in the pubic sector. Also, the major findings that were discovered from this work is that budgeting cannot be separated from efficient and effective running of public sector. Furthermore, methodology that was applied was the use of stratified sampling to gather information from the population under study. At the end of the day, the result gathered helped tremendously in the research. Another area of emphasis is the reason for the research work and one prominent reason for this research work is to expand our knowledge about budgeting and contribute to what others have done before and also to proffer solutions, recommendations and the way forward.

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YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA A STUDY OF BADAGRY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, LAGOS STATE

ABSTRACT

The study examined Youth Empowerment And Socio-Economic Development : A Study Of Badagry Local Government Area. Primary data were collected using questionnaire administered at randomly selected beneficiaries of the empowerment schemes. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data generated by the study. The findings of the study revealed that YES had made significant contributions towards improving the standard of living of the respondents (87.7%) in the study area. Among the respondents, 73.5% were satisfied with the performance of the youth empowerment schemes. In addition, the limitations of the youth empowerment schemes included lack of access to loans, inadequate training centers and equipments, high interest rate and illiteracy. To improve the performance of the youth empowerment schemes in the study area, the study recommended that adequate loan facility with minimal interest rate, the establishment of additional training centers with efficient equipment and adequate training for participants should be ensured in order to achieve sustainable development.

CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION 

Background to the Study 

Youths are the greatest assets that any nation can have. Not only are they legitimately regarded as the future leaders; they are, potentially and actually, the greatest investment for a country’s development. They serve as a good measure of the extent to which a country can reproduce as well as sustain itself. The extent of their vitality, responsible conduct, and roles in society is positively correlated with the development of their country.

Obadan, (2010) submits that our generation has empowered our youth with schools without education; with rumours without facts; with facts without understanding ; with theories without wisdom; with problems without solutions; with wounds fulfillment; with corruption without righteousness; with greed without neighborliness; with hatred without love; with politics without development with religion without genuine fear of God, and with self-centeredness without God centeredness. Youth empowerment in any development is imperative not only for national development but because the transitional period from childhood to adulthood is quite a challenge. If the potential of these youth are not profitably harnessed and marshaled towards development, there is bound to be trouble (Ojikutu, 1998).

Youth are filled with vigour and fresh energies which need to be properly harnessed through empowerment. This will discourage them from engaging in social vices which constrain sustainable development. This study therefore seeks to examine youth empowerment and sustainable development in Nigeria: A Study of Lagos State.

Statement of the Problem

The Importance of youth empowerment programmes cannot be over emphasized. They are means of assisting people to overcome obstacles which might prevent them from achieving their potentials. Youth Empowerment Programme is also a process whereby young people gain the ability and authority to make decisions and implement change in their own lives, reduce crime, eradicate poverty, encourage good leadership, address the problem of high rate of unemployment in Nigeria especially in Lagos State, among others.

In spite of the importance of youth empowerment programmes, the means of empowering the youth in Lagos State is not encouraging because the empowerment programmes of the government are limited to activities such as: provision of material things/resources to limited number of youths, distribution of motor-vans, motorcycles, clippers, keke-napepes, generators, and food items which seem to be non-durable empowerment and may not contribute to maximize to the socio-economic development of individual and the state as a whole.

Consequently, there is a high rate of youth unemployment in Nigeria today, especially in Lagos State irrespective of the government efforts to address this high unemployment rate among the youths. It is also noted that many unemployed youths today have engaged in elections as thugs and body guards. They have been involved in violence, riots, crimes, drug abuse, sexual harassment, alcohol consumption and unwanted insurgencies which involve the killing of human souls. Insufficient empowerment programmes for youths have also resulted to gender-based violence, unwanted pregnancies, violence, rape, poverty, prostitution and other physical and social crisis in the society. Some of the causes of ineffective implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Lagos State and in some parts of Nigeria also include: lack of entrepreneurship; unavailability of fund from the government and private agencies; poor knowledge based economy and low spirit of competition; irregular distribution of materials and equipment to trainers at the centres; non-inclusion of entrepreneurship programmes in school curriculum; poor societal attitude to technical and vocational education programmes; lack of fund to motivate already employed youths; disrespect of Nigerian policies and education; inadequate facilities and equipments for teaching and training at the available centres. Therefore, there is need for the government to improve its provision of youth empowerment programmes in Lagos State. The problem of this study, therefore, put in question form is: What are the strategies for effective implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Lagos State, Nigeria?

Objectives of the Study

1. To examine whether Youth Empowerment Schemes (Such as :Youth, Sports and Leisure Time Activities; Youth acquisition of skills in ICT; Good quality education; Entrepreneurship development; Participation in decision making; General employment for the youth and NLNG Youth empowerment schemes (NLNG YES) lead to sustainable development in Lagos State
2. The examine the motivational strategies for effective implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Lagos State

 Research Question

1. Do Youth Empowerment Schemes (Such as :Youth, Sports and Leisure Time Activities; Youth acquisition of skills in ICT; Good quality education; Entrepreneurship development; Participation in decision making; General employment for the youth and NLNG Youth empowerment schemes (NLNG YES) lead to sustainable development in Lagos State?
2. What are the motivational strategies for effective implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Lagos State?

Significance of the Study 

The theoretical significance of this study is anchored on Stuffle beam’s Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) Model Theory propound by Stufflebeam (1971). This theory used to assess programmes of organizations and educational institutions. The model emphasized on the importance and need for effective implementation of youth organization programmes.

Also, theoretically, the findings of this study will be considered significant because there is need for empirical information on how to improve youth empowerment programmes in Lagos State, Nigeria. This study will, therefore, contribute to the knowledge of the strategies for effective implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Lagos State, Nigeria.

In practical terms, the findings of this study will be of benefits to youths, ministry of youth and development, counsellors, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Social workers, and students.

The findings of the study will provide relevant knowledge to the youth on empowerment programmes available and some of the constraints for proper implementation of empowerment programmes in Lagos State, Nigeria.

The findings of the study will help the Ministry of Youth and Development with new strategies to carryout youth empowerment programmes and alternative means to fund and encourage beneficiaries already empowered.

The study will help the counsellors to be in a position to advice the youth on available empowerment programmes for them. The parents who are the primary agents of socialization of the child will benefit from this study as it will provide them insights of the constraints to implementation of youth empowerment programmes. This will enable them counsel and advice their children better on career choices.

The Students will benefit from the information generated by this study as it will make for positive effects towards the provision of more youth empowerment programmes, policies, and encouragement necessary to make them better in the labour market with already acquired skilled for manpowered development.

The Social Workers as agents of change will also benefit from this study as it will reveal to them the forms of empowerment programmes available for youth and they will be able to educate them along that line.

The findings of this study will provide vital information to the non- governmental organizations (NGOs) on ways to improve empowerment programmes in Lagos State.Download Full Material-N5000