Herders, Farmers Clashes: Monarch Tasks Tinubu, Govs On Reconciliation

A prominent royal father in Rivers State and Paramount Ruler of Obeakpu- Ndoki Kingdom, in Oyigbo Local Government Area, Eze Fidelis Okwudiri Ajaelu, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the 36 State Governors and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), to urgently convene a ‘national dialogue for herders, farmers reconciliation’, describing peace between the two communities as the “gateway to Nigeria’s sustainable unity and rural prosperity”.
Speaking with newsmen recently in Port-Harcourt on the need to broker peace and reconciliation between the herders and farmers in Nigeria, Eze Ajaelu emphasised that, “the nation cannot thrive where our farmers live in fear and our herders move in bitterness”.
He called for a government- led, but community- driven reconciliation process anchored on truth, justice, and forgiveness.
According to him, recurring herders- farmers clashes have crippled agricultural productivity, displaced thousands, and worsened food inflation, with ripple effects on national stability.
“Reconciliation is not weakness”, Eze Ajaelu said. “ It is wisdom, because no amount of military might can replace the power of mutual trust”.
He further traced the crisis to a mix of environmental, demographic, and economic pressures, noting that, “Climate change has dried up grazing lands in the North, forcing nomads Southwards, where land competition triggers hostility.
Eze Ajaelu, a supposed member of the Oyigbo Council of Traditional Rulers’, however, maintained that poor governance, ethnic profiling, and lack of effective policy implementation have worsened tensions.
On the way forward, the ‘Onye- Nwe- Ali VII of Obeakpu- Ndoki Kingdom, admonished the current democratic dispensation in Nigeria to establish local peace committees in hot spot areas, integrate ranching and irrigation farming to ease resource pressure. Empower traditional rulers as mediators and custodians of rural justice, as well as, demanding for federal coordination through a ‘National Peace and Reconciliation Commission’.
He stressed that successive governments have relied too heavily on force to suppress rural conflicts, but no matter how many security deployments that are made, peace cannot be commanded, it must be cultivated.
“If the Tinubu-led administration truly wants a legacy of unity, it must lead Nigeria toward a national healing process that prioritizses reconciliation, and reparations. This would mean truth-telling sessions, fair compensation, and locally designed peace accords. “Let us remember: “When farmers and herders reconcile, the soil will smile again”.
Eze Ajaelu urged President Bola Tinubu, the 36 State Governors, including the Federal Capital Territory Administration(FCTA), to immediately direct the creation of a ‘National Reconciliation and Co-existence Framework in partnership with the National Council of Traditional Rulers’, state peace agencies, and civil society groups, and the media’.
He added that, “ Governors, particularly, in the North Central and South must also commit to inclusive peace summits to heal wounds, restore trust, and ensure justice, saying, “The time to act is now. Nigeria’s rural peace remains the foundation of its food security, which is the foundation of true sovereignty”.
Eze Ajaelu urged the federal and state governments, to work closely with traditional institutions, noting that, “ no one understands rural grievances better than those who live among the people”.
He reaffirmed his domain’s commitment to continue promoting peace, dialogue,and inter- communal trust in his Kingdom and beyond.

By: Bethel Toby