Herdsmen’s/Farmers’ Conflicts and Sustainable National Development in Nigeria

Abstract

There have been age-long rifts between farmers and pastoralists though their relationship is both symbiotic and competitive in nature; hence this has often times led to crises which heightened tensions and religious intolerance. Consequently, many villages have been deserted which has affected the socio-economic activities as well as students’ enrolment in schools. It is against this backdrop that the study examines the extent to which farmers’/herdsmen’s clashes affect sustainable development in Nigeria. To collect data, interviews were conducted in some selected states in Nigeria where the scourge of terrorism was felt greatly. The sample size for the interview was 20 where the interviewees were purposively selected based on their experience in the subject matter and questions were asked through focus group discussion. The study found that government insensitivity to the plight of both farmers and herders is responsible for the crises which have negative impact on sustainable development. The study therefore recommends that conflict management mechanisms should be instituted, and also sanctions should be iposed to forestall future conflicts.