A senior lecturer at Taraba State University, Professor John Ajai, has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently review Nigeria’s commitment to the ECOWAS Transhumance Protocol and fast-track the passage of a national law banning open grazing across the country.
Ajai made the call in an open letter addressed to the president, warning that Nigeria is facing a “defining moment” that demands bold and decisive executive action to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and unity.
He criticized the ECOWAS Transhumance Protocol—originally designed to facilitate pastoral mobility across West Africa—as a major contributor to insecurity, violent land occupation, and erosion of Nigeria’s territorial integrity. “The unregulated cross-border movements have enabled not just pastoralists but heavily armed groups to enter Nigerian territories under the guise of transhumance,” he said.
Ajai highlighted that this unchecked movement has fueled displacement, destroyed livelihoods, and heightened ethnic tensions in states such as Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa. Citing a USAID-funded report, he noted that between 2015 and 2019, Nigeria recorded approximately 7,000 deaths and an estimated $13 billion in annual economic losses linked to pastoral conflicts.
He further warned that terrorist groups like Boko Haram are exploiting loopholes in the protocol to smuggle weapons, conduct surveillance, and launch attacks.
Ajai described the current adherence to the protocol as a “dangerous erosion of sovereignty” that hampers investment in sustainable livestock practices such as ranching and feedlot systems. He called on the president to order a comprehensive reassessment of Nigeria’s participation in the protocol and, if necessary, renegotiate or withdraw in the national interest.
While commending the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development as a “visionary step,” he stressed that stronger action—particularly the swift enactment of the Anti-Open Grazing Bill currently awaiting final approval—is essential.
“These are not ordinary times. They demand extraordinary leadership, which future generations will honour as the turning point when Nigeria chose survival, sovereignty, and renewal over drift and disintegration,” Ajai stated.
The don expressed optimism that with firm, focused leadership, Nigeria could overcome its security challenges and emerge stronger and more unified.