A socio-cultural group of Fulani herders under the aegis of Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria, (KACRAN), has vowed to vote for any presidential candidate whose policies and programmes include livestock development.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by KACRAN’s National President, Khalil Mohd Bello, they disclosed that some politicians are neither mindful nor concerned about the vital role played by the livestock sector toward creating millions of jobs for youths.
They revealed that they have millions of herders with PVCs and will only cast their votes for a candidate that cares about their interests and general survival.
Khalil said their members always cast votes en bloc and would vote for any candidate and party that will fully consider them in policy formulation and implementation.
The association noted that despite herders’ significant contributions to the economic growth of the country and the provision of nutritional food to Nigerians, they were always ignored when it came to policy and program formulations.
The statement read: “Most politicians, with the exception of very few States, are neither mindful nor concerned with the vital role played by the livestock sector towards creating millions of job opportunities for our youths and people whose livelihood fully depends on pastoral occupation.
“KACRAN noticed that it is only through the creation of the Federal Ministry of Animal resources that herders’ problems and daily pressing needs related to water points or animal feed during the dry period will be adequately taken care of.
“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is fully charged with numerous responsibilities that cannot allow it to fully incorporate livestock development in its yearly or daily programs, hence necessitating our appeal for the creation of a special Ministry for Animal Resources.
“Most of the money given to the said Ministry is always spent on the development of arable farming to the detriments of Fisheries and livestock sectors.
“We want our politicians to note that we have millions of herders who have their PVCs at hand and are ready to cast them to candidates of their choice, more especially the ones who they noticed care about their interest and general survival.
“KACRAN also wants to draw the attention of our presidential and gubernatorial candidates that pastoralists’ block votes, especially in the Northern part of this country or at a highly competitive presidential level, will help one to clinch power.
“We KACRAN members always cast our votes en bloc, because we normally don’t want to divide our votes, but always put them based on the person or party we strongly believe will fully consider us in policy formulation and implementation.”