Northern Governors on Tuesday said the Federal Government should provide funding for the establishment of ranches across the region.

The Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Simon Lalong, during an appearance on Channels Television’s News @ 10 said the Governors have been in support of ranching for quite some time.

And, with the rise of banditry – which he said was linked to cattle rustling – and the recent quit notices being bandied across the country, ranching offers the “the only way to control the insecurity,” Mr. Lalong said.

“We were advising the federal government to also give grants to states that are ready with land,” he said.

“We are not saying that it is compulsory for states that are not ready. But many states in the North are ready.

“We need some grants to start so that these people will not be moving here and there. We need to also keep them in one place. It’s business. So definitely, that’s the only way to control the insecurity.”

Lalong, who is the Executive Governor of Plateau State, said all stakeholders, including members of cattle herders associations across the country, were on board with the idea of ranching.

“But there is this lack of funds to the state, there is lack of encouragement to the state,” he said.

For example, Mr. Lalong noted, the Plateau State Government has readied 74,000 hectares for the ranching exercise but needs funding to develop the project.

“When you start restricting people, you must provide alternatives,” he said.