By Felicia Imohimi
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) says it would group its members across the federation into cooperative societies to enable them benefit from Federal Government funding opportunities.
Alhaji Othman Ngelzarma, General Secretary of MACBAN gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
He said such initiative would as well afford members the opportunities to access funds from other financial institutions.
Ngelzarma explained that through the initiative, the association could easily train, improve members’ skills in their respective states and as well as provide them with opportunity to access a lot of support.
The general secretary noted that the association, which was established over 30 years ago, had the mandates of ensuring the well-being of its members.
According to him, the association have decided now to classify ourselves to what can bring peace to Nigerians and also help in improving the nation’s economy for the betterment of the entire citizens of the country.
“Very soon, we will call for National Executive Council meeting where we will discuss the guidelines and the reason to embark on this initiative.
“All our members in the states will be organise into cooperatives and in doing this it can also help in checking the security situation of the country.
“If you organise them into cooperative societies, governors of each state will know the cooperative societies that exists under MACBAN.
“And through their leadership they can help complement the efforts of various governments in the areas of security, education, commerce among others.
“Henceforth, we have decided to concern ourselves with economic aspects of the pastoralists, what can be done to improve their social well-being and how we can organise and stimulate them toward helping Nigerian economy.
“Our focus now is to adopt measures as an occupational association, create awareness among our members to improve their lives.
“And how our members can be good citizens, organise to also fight crime among themselves in order to complement government’s effort in fighting crime and to ensure peaceful coexistence among divers communities in Nigeria,” Ngelzarma said.
Similarly, the general secretary said that the association would as well make it mandatory for its leadership at national level and state chairmen to acquire land and establish a mini local ranch with simple fence.
He said ranches would enable the pastoralists to keep few cows, inseminate them through artificial insemination so that their next breed would be the ones that could bring more output of meat and milk.
According to Ngelzarma, through the ranch, the pastoralists will develop our land, grow pastures and keep our animals in our land, improve the species through artificial insemination so that the local pastoralists will begin to see and learn how they can also transform.
“So, once this initiative starts to mature at least they may be able to also venture into the same thing in order to have improved species of cow that can give more output of meat and milk.
“Through this, they will also learn to begin to settle and as well enjoy the administration of government. Their children will have opportunity to go to school.
“So, as an association we will make it mandatory for our national and local officers to establish a mini local ranch to keep their number of cows and grow their pastures.
“This will enable other pastoralists to begin to see the benefits associated with settlement,” he said.