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| Deputy President of the Senate Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege |
The Deputy President of the Senate Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege has urged Nigerians to embrace the novel agritourism endeavour as a way out of the present farmers/herders crisis facing the nation, as well as boost food production and tourism earnings.
In a keynote address he delivered at the flag-off of the first Nigerian agritourism project in Asaba, Delta State today, March 18, Sen. Omo-Agege said that fully integrated agritourism centres would also foster inter-ethnic harmony among the different ethnic groups that were living happily together before the present crisis.
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant, Oil & Gas Affairs Mr. Azuka Agbidi, Omo-Agege said: “The present farmers/herders crisis could be the trigger of an entire world of discovery on how we can turn this unfortunate event into a huge fortune. And the proposed Delta Global Agritourism project could provide a model for world-standard livestock – including especially cattle – farming.
“The idea is that large expanses of fresh grasslands can have the kind of architecture that would accommodate a vast paraphernalia of what make a farm project a tourism destination. It is all a matter of conceptualisation. Since the crisis, we have heard of people talk about cattle farming in the southern parts of Nigeria. What this means is that since the south, historically, has been known with the muturu cattle species, there is now the opportunity to reborn this species of cattle, famed with more meat and milk, but was rather disappearing from our agricultural landscape.
“Already we have heard stories of some businessmen in Eastern Nigeria, beginning to ask questions in this direction. This is just as we heard recently that the Ekiti State government has acquired a large number of pregnant Jersey cow breed, famed as the largest farmable ungulates of all hoofed species. This is hoped to be the seed for a large ranching programme.
“Further, when we go agritourist with a popular species like the bunaji (Fulani white) for which the Fulani are known, we could kill many birds with one stone. The first is clearly the end of the farmers/herders crisis of today. The second, and perhaps most important, is the unquantifiable value derivable from the benefits of ethnic division of labour. Because the Fulani are very proficient in farming the bunaji species, preponderant in Nigeria, what we would have is the old harmonious inter-ethnic co-existence that was the order of things in Nigeria before this present artificial crisis began.
“Here we can attempt a quick illustration. Speaking hypothetically, imagine what would be, if a good portion of the fresh grassland in a place like Obudu Mountain Resort – which used to be Obudu Cattle Ranch, anyway – were farmed with muturu, bunaji, even ndama and the new (Ekiti) Jersey species. It would mean having to partner with elements of the different ethnic groups that farm these species, within laid-down laws, rules and regulations. There would be plenty of food for the animals, less fatigue for them, more prolificacy, better health facilities, and better-enhanced overall value derivable. It would also provide opportunity for cross-breeding of species in these enclaves, akin to the cross-breeding programme that Sokoto State has virtually perfected. There would also be huge socialisation and better potential for inter-ethnic harmony.
