Nigerian Herders Bring Cows to City in Search of Grass

Angry drivers honk as cattle slowly march across and feed on the grass in the middle of the streets. It is a common sight for drivers in Nigeria's capital city Abuja. For the young herder guiding them, Ismail Abubakar, it is just another day.

Abubakar did not choose to bring his cattle to the city center. His family is from Katsina State in northern Nigeria, where a changing climate turned grazing lands into a desert. He moved to Idu — a rural less developed part of Abuja — many years ago. But it now has a large train station and many homes and businesses.

Herders like Abubakar usually bring their cattle to the wild countryside to graze. But the need for housing, crop farming and climate change are taking away the land and their way of life.

To keep cattle off Abuja's streets, some suggest that herders need to start buying private land and operating like other businesses. But to do that, they would need money and government support.

Baba Ngelzarma is the president of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, a herders' support group. He said, "The herders take the cattle wherever they can find green grasses and water at least for the cows to survive, not minding whether it is the city or somebody's land.”

He added that part of the problem is the lack of government support for the industry, such as water, animal care, and price control. The government announced a new ministry to support the industry in July. But it does not have a minister yet.

Fewer places to go

Nigeria is home to over 20 million cows, mostly owned by herders from the Fulani ethnic group. The country has the fourth-largest cattle population in Africa. Its dairy market is valued at $1.5 billion. But, the US International Trade Administration says imports meet about 90 percent of local demand.

It shows how poorly organized the industry is, Ngelzarma said, as cows affected by constant moving and poor diets cannot produce milk.

There are four areas surrounding Abuja that have been put aside for cattle grazing. But they are not readily available and have been taken by other crop farmers and illegal settlers, Ngelzarma added.

Without grazing land, herders set up settlements anywhere and stay for as long as they can before land owners claim it or the government builds on it.

Mohammed Abbas is a 67-year-old herder. He has repeatedly had to move over the years. Most of his current settlement in the city's Life Camp neighborhood has been taken over by a newly constructed gas station. The remaining land will soon be claimed by another owner.

Abbas said that he would have to sell all his cows to have enough money to buy land for a settlement. It means that he would have nothing left “to put on the land.”

Hassan Mohammed's family now occupies a piece of land near the Idu train station. Once a large area of grassland, the area has turned into housing and roadways. Despite repeated orders from the owners to leave, Mohammed said that his family would stay put, using the land as their home base while taking their cattle elsewhere each day for grazing.

“Many don't have anywhere to call home, so they just find somewhere to sleep at night with the cattle,” said Mohammed. “But for us, we are not leaving except there is a new place within Abuja.”

Folawiyo Daniel is an Abuja-based housing developer. He said the issue is a failure of urban planning and urged the government to bring back grazing areas in the city for herders.

I'm Jill Robbins.

Taiwo Adebayo reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

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honk – v. of a horn: to make a loud sound

cattle – n. cows, bulls, or steers that are kept on a farm or ranch for meat or milk

herder – n. a person who gathers and moves (a group of animals)

graze – v. of an animal: to eat grass or other plants that are growing in a field, pasture, or the like

dairy – n. milk or food made from milk (such as ice cream, cheese, or yogurt)