Deputy President of the Senate and First Deputy Speaker of Economic Community of West Africa States, ECOWAS Parliament, Barau Jibrin, has called for stronger regional mechanisms to prevent farmer-herder conflicts in West Africa.
He warned that ongoing deadly battle over land and water could fuel displacement, banditry, terrorism and humanitarian crises across the region.
Barau made the call at the Second Extraordinary Session and Seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament holding in Accra, Ghana where he spoke in a presentation titled “Strategies for Addressing Internal Displacement and Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Nigeria” through Senator Sadiq Umar (APC Kwara North).
He said Nigeria’s experience offers useful lessons for West Africa and Africa in tackling displacement and resource-based conflicts.
According to him, Nigeria is blessed with extensive agricultural and pastoral economies, with the majority of its population depending on farming and livestock.
However, he said increasing pressure on land and water resources has triggered conflicts, banditry, terrorism and other disasters.
Barau said Nigeria established the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to manage emergency relief and response systems for internally displaced persons.
He explained that Nigeria’s approach aligns with the global shift from short-term humanitarian response to government-led, development-oriented solutions.
“Nigeria is also one of the countries selected under the United Nations Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internally Displaced and Focused National Pathways towards Durable Solutions,” he said.
He added that Nigeria has strengthened its commitment through the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons, known as the Kampala Convention.
Despite interventions, Barau lamented that over three million Nigerians remain in IDP camps across the country.
He advised that displacement should not be left to humanitarian agencies alone but requires coordination of Ministries, Departments, Agencies, MDAs and traditional institutions.
Barau called for attention to early warning signs, conflict prevention and climate adaptation to curb further displacement.
He also urged investment in ranching, feeding and breeding to reduce pressures from uncontrolled livestock movement, and tasked parliamentarians to enact laws to protect IDPs, regulate land and livestock management, and ensure oversight of programmes on displacement, security and agriculture.
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