Niger govt to set up digital database of pastoralists

In a bid to establish a database of pastoralists in Niger State, the state government has engaged stakeholders in a workshop through the Ministry of Nomadic and Pastoral Affairs to brainstorm on the modalities for collecting data on the pastoralists residing in the state. The initiative aims to ensure inclusiveness.

The Commissioner of the Ministry, Alhaji Umar Sanda Rebe, stated that pastoralist communities in Nigeria are among the most neglected people in the country, suffering from severe food insecurity, poverty, and a lack of basic social amenities. He highlighted that “equally important is the lack of an accurate data bank, which makes it difficult to formulate the needed policies to improve their living standards and incomes.”

He explained that the Niger State Government, under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, considers it imperative to implement the pastoralists’ baseline data collection across the 25 local government areas of the state to enable proper planning and projection for the pastoralists.

“Fulani settlers and herders were disadvantaged in their access to basic social amenities such as potable water, healthcare facilities, electricity, and schools, hence the need for the engagement to reach out to them.

“We want a comprehensive data of all pastoralists in the state: who are they, where are their settlements, and what is their number, more so that basic amenities can reach out to them easily,” the commissioner said.

The commissioner also called for support and understanding from all stakeholders to ensure that the digital data collection, which is intended to be a continuous process, enables everyone to participate in governance effectively.

The meeting had in attendance stakeholders from sister ministries, including Planning, Agriculture, Education, Local Government, Statistics, and Information and Communication Technology, as well as representatives from local government councils, traditional rulers, community leaders, and security agencies.

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