Authority of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has restated it commitment to promote nomadic education through economically viable skills acquisition programmes in all the Nomadic Adult Literacy Learning Centres across the six Area Councils of the FCT.
The Secretary, Education Secretariat, Mallam Sani Dahir El-Katuzu made this known during the flag off of Capacity Building on cultivation and management of Alfalfa plant organised for Facilitators of Nomadic Adult Literacy Centres by FCT Department of Mass Education.
El-Katuzu said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello has rolled out series of life improving skills among which is the cultivation and management of Alfalfa plant to empower nomadic Fulanis economically and promote their healthy living in their various communities and settlements.
The Secretary who was represented by Director of Administration and Finance, FCT Education Secretariat, Mallam Abdulrasaq Leramoh said that the training which was organised to be of immense benefits to herders, youth, women and interested persons will go a long way to significantly reduce clashes between farmers and herders thereby encouraging the Fulani herdsmen to imbibe the culture of ranching in the FCT.
According to him, “the cultivation and production of Alfalfa feed for cattle in various settlements will afford the herdsmen the opportunity of growing their cattle feed by themselves thereby entrenching the implementation and development of ranching policy in the FCT as championed by the President Mohammed Buhari led Administration.
“This training is packaged to put an end to issue of control of land resource, it will significantly reduce farmers/herdsmen clashes, economically empower the Fulani herdsmen and help to achieve the much-desired peace between the farmers and herdsmen.”
Earlier in her welcome address, the Director, FCT Department of Mass Education, Hajia Hajarat Titilayo Alayande promised to ensure that the training is replicated in all the 47 Nomadic Adult Literacy Learning Centres across the six Area Councils of the FCT.
Hajia Alayande said that implementation of skills acquisition in the Adult Literacy and Nomadic Centres which include cultivation and management of Alfalfa plant will profitably expose the Fulani herdsmen to engage in production of feed for their cattle and discourage open grazing in the FCT.
“At the end of this crucial training, our nomadic facilitators will go back to their various Fulani communities and all our nomadic centres to replicate this training and give them the seed that we have distributed to be planted in their various settlements.
“FCT Department of Mass Education with the continuous support of the Honourable Minister of FCT is committed to continuously educating our herders with viable skills that will further empower them and give them a sense of inclusiveness. The business of growing Alfalfa plant for cattle feed will without doubt significantly reduce open grazing in the FCT to the barest minimum,” she asserted.
