Fulani Leaders Urge Peaceful Coexistence, Call for Revival of Nomadic Education in Nasarawa
Fulani leaders in Nasarawa urge herders to foster peace and coexist with local communities.
At a Lafia summit, they push for education and empowerment to end recurring clashes.
Amid recurring clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria, Fulani leaders across Nasarawa State have urged pastoralists to embrace peace and live harmoniously with other residents of the state and the country at large.
The call was made during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, on Friday. The event was organized by the Fulbe Development and Cultural Organization (FUDECO) and was themed “Consolidating the Outcomes of the IDRC-SPARC GES Research Findings on the Economic Empowerment of Pastoralist Women in Nasarawa State.”
Speaking at the gathering, FUDECO’s state chairman, Muhammad Habib Hussaini, voiced concern over the frequent conflicts between herders and farmers. He called on both federal and state governments to play a more active role in promoting peace, especially in rural communities.
Hussaini stressed the importance of education as a tool for peacebuilding and urged the government to revive nomadic schools across the country. According to him, many of the disputes between herders and farmers stem from ignorance, which could be addressed through increased access to education.
“We are calling on the government at all levels to revive and reopen nomadic schools because we see it as a solution to the clashes between herders and farmers,” he said. “Most of the problems in pastoralist communities can be traced to ignorance, so promoting nomadic education is very important.”
He added, “We want the children of pastoralists to be educated and enlightened. This will enable them to understand the dangers of engaging in any form of crisis in society.”
Highlighting a recent initiative, Hussaini revealed that over 250 pastoralist women in Nasarawa had been empowered with vocational training, start-up capital, and economic support. The initiative was funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC) program, with support from UKAID.
“Your funding has enabled us to empower over 250 pastoralist women across the 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State through vocational skills training. Now, we gather to share the findings of our research,” he said.
He explained that the project was designed to promote gender equality, social inclusion, and the overall empowerment of women in pastoralist communities. The research has identified practical strategies for economic independence and provided recommendations for policymakers.
Hussaini expressed optimism that the engagement would lead to stronger collaboration between Fulani leaders and FUDECO to address long-standing issues affecting pastoralist communities. These include insecurity, marginalization, lack of access to healthcare and education, resource conflicts, and livestock diseases.
Also speaking at the event, Dr Usman Ibrahim, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the Federal University of Lafia and the project’s lead researcher, noted that unemployment was a major driver of insecurity in Nigeria. He said FUDECO’s decision to train women was a strategic effort to reduce vulnerability in pastoralist households.
“Over 70 per cent of pastoralist women in Nasarawa have not received formal education,” Dr Ibrahim said. “That is why we felt it was crucial to empower them with skills that can help put food on their tables and reduce the temptation of engaging in crime.”
He appealed to both the federal and state governments, as well as well-meaning Nigerians, to support FUDECO in expanding the initiative to reach more women in remote communities.
The engagement drew participants from various sectors, including representatives of security agencies, traditional and religious institutions, Fulani youth groups, and women leaders from across the state.
