The Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate and First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Barau Jibrin, has urged West African countries to draw lessons from Nigeria’s experience with farmer-herder conflicts and the resulting humanitarian crises.
Barau made the call in a presentation titled, “Strategies for Addressing Internal Displacement and Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Nigeria,” at the Second Extraordinary Session and Seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament in Accra, Ghana.
The presentation was delivered on his behalf by Senator Sadiq Umar.
Barau said Nigeria’s experience offered important lessons for the West African region and the wider African continent, particularly in addressing conflicts linked to competition over land and water resources.
According to him, although Nigeria has extensive agricultural and pastoral economies, with a large proportion of its population dependent on farming and livestock production, increasing pressure on land and water has contributed to conflicts, banditry, terrorism and other humanitarian challenges.
Highlighting measures adopted by the Nigerian government, the senator said the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction was established, among other responsibilities, to coordinate emergency relief operations and responses to internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“Nigeria’s approach is increasingly consistent with the international shift from short-term humanitarian response towards government-led, development-oriented solutions,” he said.
Barau noted that Nigeria was among the countries selected under the United Nations Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internally Displaced Persons and Focused National Pathways towards Durable Solutions.
He added that Nigeria’s commitment to protecting internally displaced persons had also been strengthened through its engagement with the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, popularly known as the Kampala Convention.
The lawmaker, however, expressed concern that despite several interventions, the problem of internal displacement remained significant, with more than three million Nigerians still living in IDP camps across the country.
He argued that internal displacement should not be regarded as the exclusive responsibility of humanitarian agencies, but should involve coordinated action by relevant ministries, departments and agencies, as well as traditional institutions.
Barau also called for greater attention to early warning systems, conflict prevention mechanisms and climate adaptation measures.
He said livestock should be regarded not merely as a security concern but as an important economic sector, adding that investment in ranching, animal feeding and breeding could help reduce pressures associated with an uncontrolled livestock system.
The senator further urged lawmakers across the region to develop legislative frameworks for protecting displaced persons and regulating land and livestock management.
“Parliamentary committees should conduct evidence-based oversight of government programmes and expenditure relating to displacement, security, agriculture, livestock and reconstruction,” he said.
Barau said Nigeria’s experience had shown that internal displacement and farmer-herder conflicts were complex challenges requiring comprehensive and coordinated solutions.
He stressed that effective implementation of policies and interventions remained critical to ensuring that farmers and herders could pursue lawful and productive livelihoods without unnecessary conflict.
