Obaseki, security chiefs meet Miyetti Allah, strategise to end herdsmen/farmers’ clashes

Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has said they will continue to intensify efforts to stem clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the state to ensure peace in the state.

He disclosed this during a parley with the national leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and heads of security agencies in the state at the Government House in Benin City, Edo State.

He said there might be challenges with identifying some herdsmen due to their itinerary nature and they’re working to ensure that such issues are cleared to ensure peace.

He maintained that the ban on night grazing still stands, and approved a 40-day window request by the group to allow strangers register with the state government.

President, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammadu Kirowa, represented by the group’s National Secretary, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, commended the governor for the positive steps taken to ensure peaceful co-existence between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the state.

“We are ready to capture the data of our people through biometrics as it has become necessary for us to identify our members,” he said.

Furthermore, Obaseki said they were working to reach a common ground with the European Union (EU) on strategies to halt human trafficking, illegal migration and modern day slavery.

Disclosing this when he received a delegation from the EU Parliament at government House in Benin, he explained the need for the EU to develop skills development programme for victims of human trafficking and other youths in the state.

Obaseki said the state government has several initiatives in place to tackle human trafficking and illegal migration but requires additional support to sustain the initiatives.

In related developments, Obaseki has called for increased collaboration among stakeholders in the health sector to attain universal health coverage, which will ensure that the people get the full spectrum of health service without incurring prohibitive costs.

Speaking in commemoration of the World Health Day marked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) today, he noted that the theme for this year’s commemoration, Universal Health Coverage: everyone, everywhere speaks to his administration’s resolve to ensure universal primary health insurance is available to Edo people, which he said, would ensure that the people have access to basic healthcare.