If Macban really cared about its members it would source Islamic finance and use the loans to open mega cattle ranches

Ayo Akinfe

(1) Is it just me but the more I think about this nonsensical herdsmen saga, the more confusing it gets. These incessant clashes are a lose-lose situation for everyone but alas, some deranged people, particularly the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (Macban), keep pressing the self-destruct button

(2) For starters, do you know that there are probably as many horses, donkeys and ponies in Nigeria as cattle? Horses eat more grass than cows, yet nobody lets their horse roam across the countryside foraging for food

(3) This argument about wanting to claim land makes no sense either as herdsmen know that they are more likely to lose their livestock if they venture into peoples farms. They also know that their own lives are at risk with this Middle Age archaic practise known as nomadism

(4) Some people talk about dipping the koran into the Atlantic Ocean but then again that makes no sense. Nothing stops Macban or any other Fulani group from visiting Lekki beach and taking their Koran’s with them today. They do not need AK47s or to kill anyone to dip their Koran’s into the Atlantic Ocean

(5) Is Macban aware of the fact that Brazil’s first Shariah-compliant livestock lending programme was set up by Abu Dhabi Equity Partners (Adep) in 2014 to fund cattle farming as trade grew between the two countries?

(6) Under the scheme, Adep, an investment bank based in the Cayman Islands, started the financing with $25m to be used for fattening 70,000 cattle held by ranch operators in Goias and Sao Paulo states of Brazil. Nothing stops Nigerian herdsmen acquiring such loans today and opening ranches

(7) Now, Nigeria joined the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 1986 and alas, I am yet to see us benefitting for our membership in anyway, shape or form. When I see Islamic finance infrastructural investments in Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, I want to weep at times. We are just there to make up the numbers while others reap the benefits

(8) Do you know that the IOC actually has several institutions set up specifically to provide funding for Muslim communities, providing them with capital for investment? These include the The World Islamic Economic Forum, the International Association of Islamic Banks and the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions

(9) Also, do you know that the OIC has a combined gross domestic product of $30trn? Investment in say six mega cattle ranches in Nigeria cannot cost more than $6bn in total. This is peanuts to the OIC. I am hereby challenging the Northern Nigerian Governors Forum, Macban and the Arewa Consultative Forum to submit investment proposals to the IOC to fund cattle ranching in Nigeria. I would happily help them draft such plans outlining how each ranching village will be at least 1,500 square kilometres and would include animal feed compounding plants, dairy factories, leather processing plants and giant abattoirs

(10) For me, one of such ranching villages will be located in each of the six states of Nigeria with the largest landmass. These are Borno, Niger, Taraba, Kaduna, Bauchi and Yobe. Adjacent to each facility will be a police station, a veterinary clinic, schools, a technical training college and of course a massive mosque to showcase our architectural ability. I would actually aim to make the minarets of the mosques the highest in the world as we should be making a statement that Nigeria is open for business