Ebonyi denies receiving N6bn from Nigerian govt for establishment of ranches

The Ebonyi State government on Thursday rejected the claim by the presidency that the state received about N6 billion grant from the Federal Government for the establishment of cattle ranches.

In a statement signed by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Francis Nwaze, the government described the claim as false, noting that the state has no land for ranching.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, who featured in a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, on Wednesday, said the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ebonyi, Yobe, and Katsina States received N24 billion for the establishment of cattle ranches.

But the Ebonyi government urged the people of the state to ignore the presidency claim.

The statement read: “The state government never at any time received any money for the establishment of ranches in the state, and will not receive any money for the same purpose, as it has no available land for such purpose.

READ ALSO: Ebonyi will not give out land for cattle ranching – Gov Umahi

“We have received the news making the rounds that Ebonyi State is among the states in the federation that had received the sum of N6billion each for ranching as attributed to the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu while responding to questions on Channels Television on Wednesday night and we wish to clarify as follows:

“That should any Ebonyian opt to engage in personal ranching, Ebonyians should see such venture as a personal decision of such a person who must use his/her land for the purpose.

“This is because Ebonyi State government has continued to maintain that there is no land for ranching in the state and it is not about reneging from the decision. “

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