Prominent Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has renewed national debate on the challenges faced by herdsmen in Nigeria, stating that lack of education and unemployment continue to worsen insecurity and social tension in rural areas. Speaking during a recent programme on national security and rural development, Gumi highlighted the structural disadvantages that shape the lives of pastoral families across the country.
According to him, most herdsmen live in extremely remote environments where modern infrastructure, formal education and economic opportunities are nearly absent. This isolation, he explained, leaves young herders disconnected from wider society and unable to benefit from government development initiatives.
Gumi described the educational gap as one of the most urgent issues. Many herders grow up without access to formal schooling, making it difficult for them to understand new systems, follow regulations or adapt to modern economic realities. He added that this gap also contributes to frequent misunderstandings between herders and farmers, especially when disputes over land or resources arise.
To illustrate the impact of isolation, Gumi said that if “you pick ten young men, send them into the bush with cattle, cut them off from interaction with the outside world and return after one year, they begin to behave like the animals they tend.” He noted that such prolonged disconnection naturally influences their behaviour, worldview and ability to integrate into society.
The cleric also identified unemployment as a major factor driving frustration among young pastoralists. With no structured job opportunities, vocational centres or empowerment initiatives, many herders rely solely on cattle rearing, making them vulnerable to recruitment by criminal networks operating in remote regions.
Gumi argued that insecurity in rural Nigeria cannot be solved through military force alone. Instead, he emphasised the need for development-driven solutions, calling for investment in mobile schools, adult learning centres, modern grazing infrastructure and communication access such as radio networks and mobile connectivity.
He further urged the government to integrate pastoral communities into the mainstream economy through vocational training, cooperative schemes, employment pathways and support for organised ranching systems.
Gumi concluded by calling on policymakers to move beyond stereotypes and engage with the real social and environmental conditions of pastoral life. Education, economic empowerment and meaningful dialogue, he said, remain the most effective strategies for breaking the cycle of insecurity in affected regions.
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