Assessment Of Local Government Capacity In Managing Herdsmen-Farmers' Conflict In Nigeria: Governance Theory Perspective

Herdsmen-Farmers conflict has become a recurring issues in Nigeria, leading to loss of property, lives and means of livelihoods. The study specifically examines the capacity of Local Government in managing Herdsmen-Farmers conflicts using governance theory perspective. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative (mixed) methods of data collection and analysis. Cochran's sampling technique was adopted due to the inability to ascertain the actual population, to distribute 240 copies of questionnaire to local government officials, community leaders and traditional rulers to deduce information on the research objectives. An in-depth interview was conducted with the selected local government officials, traditional rulers, community leaders and security personnel. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as thematic analysis for interview responses. The results of the analysis showed that while local government's policy & regulatory framework has a negative but significant effect on the capacity of local government in managing herdsmen-farmers' conflict in Nigeria, its resource capacity, conflict resolution mechanism and stakeholder participation have positive but insignificant effect on the capacity of the local government to effectively manage herdsmen-farmers' conflict in Nigeria. The study concludes that local government does not have required policy and regulatory framework which is necessary for managing herdsmen-farmers conflicts but, their resources, conflict resolution mechanism and stakeholders' participation cannot significantly manage those conflicts, even though they are in place as expected by governance theory.