The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum of Nigeria has opposed the ranching pilot project.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has introduced an initiative for the development of the livestock sector, aimed at modernizing the industry, reducing the frequency of livestock movement, and resolving conflicts between farmers and herders. The territories of Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), are being considered as pilot sites for the implementation of this program. One of the project's focal points is the Wase Reserve in Plateau State.

However, the leadership of the SMBLF, including Oba Oladipo Olaitan, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, John Azuta-Mbata, and Ambassador Godknows Igali, has criticized the proposed scheme. According to the organization, the project carries risks for landowners and could lead to the forced alienation of land under the pretext of public interest. The forum leaders expressed concern that the main ranching zones are concentrated in the Middle Belt, while there are vast, sparsely populated territories in the northern regions of the country.

The SMBLF emphasized that they are not opponents of livestock development or the introduction of modern farming methods, but they consider the current approach opaque and discriminatory. The organization questions the compliance of these measures with the Land Use Act of 1978, which, in their view, provides no grounds for the arbitrary seizure of communal lands. There is also a fear that permanent settlement zones for nomadic herders could be created under the guise of a government program.

At present, representatives of the forum insist on the need to obtain full information from the government regarding the legal mechanisms for land acquisition, sources of funding, property rights, and the security of the project. Until these clarifications and guarantees for the protection of local interests are provided, the SMBLF urges to refrain from implementing the initiative in the affected areas and declares its intention to oppose any attempts at land seizure.