The world today has many farmers that owe no farms. Thanks to different investment options, people can invest in farming while others manage those farms for them. Many farmers you know today were able to generate their capitals through investors, who could not lift hoes but hoped to reap proceeds from their farms. This method is also obtainable in livestock farming, where a person rears animals through a third party.

In addition to farming through a third party, farmers have discovered that they must not own a large expanse of land before they go into commercial farming. This tradition has been in existence for a long time. Even our forefathers “borrowed” farmlands and crops from others for an agreed sharing formula. Sometimes, the agreement is that all the farm produce will be shared equally between the lessor and the lessee. In most cases, legal landowners take the best economic crops on the farm and then leave the rest for the poor farmers. This arrangement is also found in livestock farming and has been sustaining farmers, especially those that lack land and seed capital.

Presently in Nigeria, a lot of people want to go into the farming business but they cannot afford to buy lands for that purpose. Leasing may not be a wonderful option considering that the high demands for land made it expensive. Even though some landowners rent out their properties at cheaper rates for this purpose, they are barely enough for the number of persons that need them. Apart from that, such arrangements may not suit commercial farming because the size of land allotted to farmers may be too small for anything other than subsistence agriculture. Livestock farmers also encounter this difficulty and it hinders their progress. This is one of the reasons farmers always call for government intervention towards providing land for agricultural purposes.

Apart from the land challenges, food crop farmers have complained bitterly about the encroachment of their farms by Fulani cattle herders, whose animals destroy their crops as a result of their open grazing method. The destruction of crops has led to several clashes between the herders and the farmers and has resulted in the death of many. Efforts made by farmers to discourage open grazing have led to multiple face-offs with herders and had shown no sign of stopping the problem. This means that only government intervention can stop the menace of open grazing in the country. To solve this problem as well as to provide land for livestock farmers, the government launched the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), an initiative that can answer the prayers of many farmers when it becomes operational.

NLTP is a scheme adopted by the National Executive Council (NEC) on 18 January, 2019. It is an initiative designed to partner with interested state governments to provide land for livestock farmers to practice their profession. Through this programme, livestock farmers, including the controversial Fulani herders (and their employers), will have access to land for ranching. The good thing about this scheme, when it starts fully, is that it will make land available to farmers at a considerably cheap rate. This means that Nigerians that wish to try their luck in livestock farming will have a place to do so.

However, the controversy surrounding the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) scheme has found its way into NLTP. Some Nigerians believe NLTP is the baptismal name for RUGA. They believe the Federal Government repackaged the RUGA agenda in NLTP, whereby the government will ‘grab’ land from citizens and hand it over to Fulani cattle herders. As much as it is understandable for Nigerians to become sceptical of new initiatives, especially when they come from the government, they should understand that NLTP did not specify that the programme is designed only for a particular type of livestock farmers or people from a tribe. The sole objective of NLTP is to improve livestock farming by providing land for ranching.

Nevertheless, Nigerians should demand more from this programme. So far, considering that ranching is usually for grazing animals such as cattle, it has not been specified if all the ranches that will be provided through this initiative will be reserved for cattle farmers alone. Kindly note that Nigerians from different tribes engage in cattle rearing and, hence, providing land for cattle rearing does not imply they are only for people from a particular tribe. Hence, if you have an interest in cattle rearing, you can key into the NLTP and benefit from its objectives. However, farmers of other livestock should not be left out. Cattle are not the only sources of meat or income in Nigeria and so should not be treated specially.

Furthermore, there is a need for proper dissemination of information concerning this programme. Many Nigerians might not know what it entails and will, therefore, kick against it. It is also important that people know when the programme starts so that those interested can join in. This is a call to the appropriate authorities to do the needful because the publicity level of this scheme is poor.

Frank Lampard’s time as Chelsea football club head coach came to an abrupt end Monday, when the Stamford Bridge-based club announced his contract had been terminated.

Lampard, a Chelsea legend who spent 13 years with the club, scoring 211 goals from midfield to establish himself as Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer, became the club’s manager in 2019, amidst their struggle, with a three-year contract.

His time at the helm however, was riddled with a lot of woeful performances that got both the club’s management and fans yearning for change. Now the club says it’s time they parted ways.

“This has been a very difficult decision, and not one that the owner and the board have taken lightly. We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as head coach of the club.

“However, recent results and performances have not met the club’s expectations, leaving the club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.

“There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the club time to improve performances and results this season,” Chelsea said in an official statement.

Chelsea’s owner Ramon Abramovich for the first time, made a personal statement about a coach departure in the case of Lampard, describing him as a “man of integrity.”

“This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him.

“He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers,” he said.

The news of Lampard’s sack came shocking to many who described it as premature and had expected that he’d been given more time to build a team.

“The more I think about Frank Lampard’s sacking, the angrier it makes me feel. You won’t meet a more genuine decent bloke in world football, or anyone more deserving of being given enough time to be a success at Chelsea. Pathetic that he’s been kicked out after just 18 months,” Good Morning Britain co host, piers Morgan said.

For the 84 matches Chelsea played during his 18 months period as manager, Lampard won 44, drew 17 and lost 23 to put his win record at 52.4 percent. He also steered the club to a fourth-placed finish last season and also to FA Cup final.

With this record, many have the opinion that he should have been allowed more time to lead the team to favorable results. His iconic status in his playing days at the club enabled divided feelings about his sack among Chelsea fans.

On Sunday, a banner was raised in support of the former midfielder amidst the sack rumors. The social media has been agog about Chelsea’s decision to prematurely axe Lampard, with fans and football analysts condemning the decision.

Gary Lineker slammed Chelsea on Twitter, calling the decision “utterly ludicrous” after his first bad run. “It was always going to need time given so many new signings feeling their way into a new club. Patience being a virtue is seldom recognized in this sport. They never learn,” he said.

Chelsea has a pedigree of impatience with coaches. Since 2013 when Abramovich took over, the club has sacked 10 managers including Lampard. But some of the fans think Lampard deserves better and the decision was too hasty.

“Hearing Lampard is getting sacked is actually a disgrace, why now that he is trying to get the team to play together? Shame on Chelsea board,” an angry fan wrote.

Another one added: “I am really disgusted by the Chelsea board, none of which have done more for the club than Lampard. You don’t give him a chance to say goodbye properly as a player, you don’t give him a testimonial, shame on you.”

The decision to sack Lampard is believed to have stemmed from issues beyond losing five of his last eight Premier League matches. There was a report that his relationship with the club’s influential director, Marina Granovskaia had deteriorated over the manager’s treatment of goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, a £72 million signing who was dropped as first choice due to his continuous errors.

It was also reported that senior players in the club, including Kepa were dissatisfied over how Lampard approached games. The dissatisfaction came from the claim that the manager always told the players to ‘go out and express themselves’ rather than take to the pitch with clear instructions or direction.

There is also the belief that the Chelsea board has ever wanted the new manager, Thomas Tuchel, who the club announced on Tuesday as Lampard’s replacement, to coach the club. Chelsea has for years touted Tuchel while he was engaged with other clubs, but were warned off. The German’s dismissal from PSG in December appeared to have presented the English club with the opportunity to secure his services.

Liverpool’s manager Jurgen klopp also said Chelsea made a “harsh” decision axing Lampard, but it’s Tuchel who has been given a present in the team.

“That was a really tough one. Chelsea did an incredible job in the transfer market this summer, brought in really good players, and things like this always need time. It’s really harsh to make a decision that early. Obviously Mr. gives you money and players but is not the most patient in the world.

“But for Thomas Tuchel it’s great. Unfortunately, he’s a really good manager. I have known him a long time and respect him a lot. This Chelsea squad is a present. I’m pretty sure Thomas sees it like that too,” Klopp said.

Lampard enjoyed £230 million market spending, which delivered a young fresh team to Chelsea. Although Tuchel has built a pleasant reputation in his managerial career, many believe the new team will ease his job at Chelsea.

Whether Chelsea made the right call or not sacking Lampard, is a question only time will answer.