‘Herdsmen Suffer from Lack of Education, Unemployment’ — Sheikh Gumi

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, widely known for his interventions on national security matters, has raised renewed concerns about the conditions faced by herdsmen in Nigeria. Speaking during a programme on insecurity and rural development, Gumi said the biggest challenges confronting herders are lack of education and unemployment.

He noted that many herdsmen live in deeply isolated environments, a situation that fuels their vulnerability and disconnects them from wider society. According to him, poor access to formal schooling and limited economic opportunities leave pastoral lists ill-equipped to adapt to modern realities or engage effectively with government policies.

Illustrating his point, Gumi said that if “you pick ten young men, send them into the bush with cattle, cut them off from any interaction with the outside world and return after a year, they will begin to behave like the animals they tend.”

He stressed that such conditions make herders susceptible to manipulation, and called for greater government investment in education, communication infrastructure, and structured employment programmes for pastoral communities.