JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

The article reflects on the perennial Farmer-Herder crisis in Nigeria that has become bloodier in recent times. It acknowledges the many material and nonmaterial efforts made by government and other concerned individuals, bodies or organizations to check the crisis. It also acknowledges that these efforts haven’t yielded significant fruits toward resolving the crisis, hence the present spread of the crisis across all the regions of the country, not just the North Central as it were in the past. Contrary to the ecological and climatic factors fingered as the causes of the crisis, the article identifies the loss of respect for human dignity and equality of all human persons as the fundamental cause. It argues that proper attention has not been given to restoring these values among farmers and herders, and this is the reason why all measures put in place to curb the crisis have been futile. Through an analysis of Gabriel Marcel’s dialogical philosophy, the article demonstrates how the lack of these vital virtues has led to the worsening farmerherder crisis in Nigeria. It concluded, therefore, that more efforts should be geared towards re-inculcating these values among herders and farmers, and by extension, among all Nigerians. Until this is achieved, the end to the crisis may never be in sight.