Governor Umaru Bago has inaugurated a 10-member committee to recover all the existing grazing reserves for agricultural purposes.

Mr Bago, while inaugurating the committee in Minna on Thursday, said the Niger government had identified 23 grazing reserves across the 25 local government areas to be recovered.

The governor said that the state government would take control of the reserves and prepare and cultivate them in accordance with land use acts.

“In our agriculture revolution, we have interacted with residents, traditional institutions and locals with a view to prepare lands for cultivation and animal husbandry,” the governor said.

He said the reserves would help the government actualise the federal government’s Pulaku initiative, adding that most of the reserves have become hideouts to hoodlums.

According to him, the terms and references of the committee include identifying all the state and federal government grazing reserves in Niger.

He added that the committee would also trace relevant history associated with each grazing reserve, establishment, records of acquisition and payment of compensation, if any.

He said the committee was mandated to determine the size of each grazing reserve and provide relevant information that would assist the government in the new drive to improve ranching and pastoralism in Niger.

The committee has three weeks to submit its reports.

Responding, Ahmed Guna, chairman of the committee, assured the governor its readiness to discharge their work diligently and promptly submit reports before the deadline.

The committee is made up of commissioners for lands, agriculture, nomadic affairs and environment, as well as permanent secretaries of basic secondary education and lands, amongst others. 

(NAN)