Veteran Yoruba actor Lere Paimo, popularly known as Eda Onile Ola, has urged South-West governors to collaborate and take measures to restrain killer herders to ensure food security in the region.
Paimo, the Oyo State-born Nollywood actor and a national awards holder, made the plea in an interview on Tuesday in Lagos and spoke on the way out of the current socio-economic, inflation and food crisis.
“Let every South-West governor control the activities of herders, who always clash with farmers,” said Paimo. “This has sent many away from their ancestral farms, and the attendant hunger is staring us in the face.”
The octogenarian said that with adequate security, infrastructure, and motivation for farmers, the South-West can feed its people and the entire nation.
“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 so people have the confidence to go back to the farm without fear of any loss.
“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 farms,” Paimo said.
The actor advocated ranches for herders as part of efforts to turn around the current food crisis.
“South-West has enough arable land to grow its food and also feed the entire nation.
“The herder-farmer clashes are creating a lot of fear for the farmers in the region, and our leaders must take urgent action before it is too late,” he said.
He said the government must provide a place in each state or local government for herders to rear their animals.
(NAN)
