A lecturer at the Taraba State University, Prof. John Ajai, has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently review Nigeria’s commitment to the ECOWAS Transhumance Protocol, warning that the policy has worsened insecurity and threatens Nigeria’s sovereignty.
In an open letter to the President, Ajai said the country was facing a “defining moment” that demands “extraordinary leadership” to protect its future.
The unregulated cross-border movements have enabled not just pastoralists but heavily armed groups to enter Nigerian territories under the guise of transhumance,” Ajai wrote.
He argued that the ECOWAS protocol, initially aimed at facilitating peaceful pastoral mobility across West Africa, has been “hijacked by criminal networks and insurgents,” leading to the displacement of indigenous communities and the destruction of livelihoods in states such as Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa.
Citing a USAID-funded report, Ajai noted that between 2015 and 2019, Nigeria recorded “approximately 7,000 deaths and an estimated $13bn in annual economic losses” due to conflicts linked to pastoral activities.
The situation represents a dangerous erosion of our sovereignty,” he said. “It demands a comprehensive reassessment of Nigeria’s participation in the protocol, with renegotiation or withdrawal if necessary, in the supreme national interest.
Ajai warned that continued adherence to the outdated protocol discourages investment in modern livestock systems, such as ranching and feedlot operations, which are vital for agricultural transformation and food security.
Our loyalty must be to the survival and sovereignty of Nigeria first,” he stressed. “Policies that compromise our territorial integrity must be reviewed or discarded.”
He praised Tinubu for the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, calling it a “visionary step towards modernising the livestock sector,” but emphasised that more decisive action was needed.
To consolidate this vision, Mr. President must champion the swift passage and implementation of the Anti-Open Grazing Bill, which has already passed the third reading in the Senate,” he said.
This offers a historic opportunity to permanently outlaw open grazing and end violent land occupations.”
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,” the don said.
He expressed optimism that with firm leadership, Nigeria could overcome its current security challenges and reclaim its place as a united and prosperous African nation.
