Develop livestock industry instead of searching for oil in North – Fulani Herdsmen tell Buhari

President Buhari's search for oil in Northern Nigeria suffered a major knock, as Fulani herdsmen under the umbrella of Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) accused him of wasting resources. 

Speaking on behalf of the group in Damaturu on Monday, National President of the association, Khalil Mohammed Bello, stated the resources used in the oil search can be used to develop the livestock sector and in turn boost the country's revenue. 

“One cannot compare renewable resources with natural deposits such as petroleum resources, which can be replaced with several alternative sources of energy such as biofuel, electricity, solar etc to motorise our engines.

“We are all aware that, no matter how abundant country’s petroleum resources is one day the resources will be exhausted or replaced by another source of energy more especially as the entire World now is crying of climate change and air pollution, mainly caused by heavy duty industries that are using petroleum resources for their daily operations.

“And even if petroleum resources are not replaced with other sources of energy, it will one day finish, and that is why whenever new petroleum well or wells are discovered, geologists or experts in the petroleum explorations usually state, when that petroleum is expected to be exhausted,” Bello disclosed. 

The group also noted that the Northern region of Nigeria, can do better as it did during colonial era and in the First Republic without petroleum. It backed its claim with plans by Saudi Arabia to diversify its economy and reduce dependency on petroleum resources. 

“At this juncture, we want to reiterate what we have earlier said that by making this comparison or analysis we are not discouraging government or petroleum Companies from making oil exploration in the Northern part of our country, we are only stating facts as well as saying that let oil exploration be given third position in the North, after livestock and arable farming.

“We said so for the fact that, we know if to say part of the billions Naira expended for oil exploration in the North, is been spent judiciously for the development of agriculture, reclaiming our land encroached by desertification through massive three planting and production of posture and water points for both livestock and arable farming will develop to the extent that Northern Nigeria can feed the entire African States,” the KACRAN President asserted.