• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

How RUGA was ‘stolen’ from Nigerian researchers, politicised by govt

RUGA

In February 2018, a group of ten Nigerians on doctoral and other postgraduate research courses at the Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands made a presentation on a cattle management model. Their presentation was made at a meeting attended by Robert Petri, who was then Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, and Michel Deleen, who was until recently, head of the Lagos office, which has now been upgraded to a Consulate General. On the hosts’ side was a representation of top academics and researchers, led by Louise O. Fresco, president of Wageningen University & Research.

The meeting, organised in a Dutch University and attended by an equally Dutch delegation that had come all the way from Nigeria, was however not to discuss anything Dutch, rather, how to advance agricultural development in Nigeria. At the time of that meeting, establishment of Cattle Colonies was the ‘bright idea’ being promoted by the Nigerian government, and the presentation by the Nigerians at this meeting in the Netherlands, was offering an alternative described as sustainable cattle ranching that could accommodate herdsmen in different locations.

BusinessDay, following this meeting published a number of articles. The group had subsequent meetings with representatives of government, including one in July 2018, where the concept was pitched to Audu Ogbeh, who was minister of agriculture and rural development. This was followed by another presentation of the same idea to some representatives of the Vice President’s office.

After the presentation to some members of the VP’s office, the feedback was that “government wanted a quick solution”, and this model did not seem to offer that. However, barely a year later, it appears the Nigerian government may have ‘stolen’ this idea or at least, some of it (for its ‘quick fix’), and in the process making a political mess of what should have been a business driven solution. In all of this, there has been no form of credit or involvement of the original promoters.

“What the Federal Government did was to pick some of our ideas and put them inside RUGA,” said Abiodun Jegede, a member of the team that pitched this idea. Jegede was in Wageninen for his PhD in Environmental Technology at the time, along with nine others that were members of the team.

In the model presented, the group aimed to develop a business model known as Agri-tourism, which would provide a sustainable ranching system to help the Fulani community and all other stakeholders interested in cattle business to properly integrate with the global society, to ensure peaceful coexistence as a nation.

The group expected to achieve this by addressing a number of questions on: how climate change impact can be reversed; how water and feed can be provided abundantly; how a circular economy can be maintained within the ranch; and how the cherished nomad philosophy of the Fulani can be preserved. This, they expected will be achieved by solving the major questions raised earlier through scientific studies, integration of all major stakeholders and implementation of a sustainable business model.

“The establishment of cattle colony has been recommended as a solution to the conflict. However, this approach is not feasible unless the root cause of the problem is addressed comprehensively and sustainably, implying that a ranch business model that caters for the basic needs of the herdsmen and the herd must be thoroughly implemented,” said Jegede, in a presentation on behalf of the group at the meeting last year.

If successfully implemented, the ranch was expected to provide products such as milk, meat etc. and services such as grazing, orchard/non-wildlife tours, school tours, recreational harvest, sport, ecotainment, horseracing, rural home stay etc. In addition, net electricity produced from anaerobic digestion of the cattle manure could be sold to the grid to earn additional revenue.

Jegede explained that this idea can contribute to ending the herdsmen-farmer clashes and improve the livestock industry in Nigeria. In addition, this concept will help to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and can contribute to powering rural communities.

The application of scientific studies, integration of all major stakeholders and implementation of a sustainable business model, according to the group, would have aided the delivery of a ranching system that will be acceptable to both farmers and herdsmen.

Onu Ekpa, a PhD candidate in Food Quality and Design group, Wageningen University, who is also a member of the group, expressed the view that “Nigeria risks worsening food security problems if the crisis continues.” According to him, the group’s model treats agriculture as a viable business rather than as a tool for social and political exploits.

“We are optimistic that our model which aims to address water, feed, energy and environmental issues will be a sustainable solution. Agritourism is an added value to the model, it will generate a lot of revenue for Nigeria, mitigate climate change and preserve our ecosystem,” he said.

Petri, who was the Dutch ambassador to Nigeria, had lauded the group’s initiative to solve a problem which is bedevilling the country’s agricultural sector, pledging to study the model in detail and offering whatever assistance is possible. He subsequently facilitated their meetings and presentations with the minister of agriculture, as well as representatives of the Vice President’s office.

Today, the story has changed, as the government repackaged a model it said “would take time to implement”, and creating controversy out of a model, which if presented to the public as intended by its promoters, may have been embraced and contribute towards solving herdsmen-farmers violence in Nigeria.

 

CALEB OJEWALE