A Veteran Yoruba actor, Lere Paimo, popularly known as Eda Onile Ola, has urged South-West governors to collaborate and take measures to restraint killer herdsmen to ensure food security in the region.
Paimo, the Oyo State-born Nollywood actor and a National Awards holder, who made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos, spoke on the way out of the current socio-economic, inflation and food crisis in the country.
The octogenarian said that with adequate security, infrastructure, and motivation for farmers, the South-West has the capacity to feed its people and the entire nation.
“Let every South-West governor control activities of herders, who always clash with farmers. This has sent many away from their ancestral farms, and the attendant hunger is staring us in the face.
“The herders have brought a lot of losses to many farmers by making their cattle to feed on farms while some farmers have also lost their lives in the process. Many have left their farms over this.
“This is very bad. Each governor has the authority and power in their various states to ensure that herders are tamed for people to have confidence to go back to farm without fear of any loss.
“People are suffering and hungry because many people have deserted farms because of security. If we want food security like before, we need to do something in the direction.
“Let each governor in the region take it as a personal responsibility to ensure stiff penalties for any herder who leads his flock to feed on people’s farm,” Paimo said.
The actor advocated ranches for herders as part of efforts to turnaround current food crisis.
“We must take actions now to ensure security in the region especially for farmers to enhance food security.
“South-West has enough arable land to growth its food and also feed the entire nation.
“The herder-farmer clashes is creating a lot of fears for the farmers in the region and our leaders must take urgent action before it will be too late,” he said.
According to him, since cattle rearing remains personal business of individuals or groups of people, efforts should be made by the government to ensure farmers are not affected.
He said that the government must provide a place in each state or local government for herders to rear their animals. (NAN)