LAND FOR CATTLE RANCHING: Federal govt lied —Ebonyi state

The government of Ebonyi State under Governor David Umahi has suggested that the Federal Government lied with its claim that the state has provided land for the proposed cattle ranching.

The state said that it was not happy with the news that it is among the 10 states that have provided land for ranching, saying that it has no land and is not aware that it was included for ranching.

The federal government had recently listed Ebonyi State as one of the 10 states claimed to have provided land for the government’s plan to build cattle ranches across the country in order to address incessant attacks and killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

But the government of Ebonyi told newsmen on Thursday after its executive council meeting through the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Barrister Ikechukwu Nwobo, that it was not true that it provided land for ranching as there was no land for such in the state.

“The state executive council frowned at the news making rounding that the state has directed or provided for a cattle ranch in Ebonyi State.

“The highest organ of Ebonyi state is the state executive council and the state security council and any decision taken by this council is the last bus stop for the people and government of Ebonyi State. Whether the federal government consulted us, we are not aware of that. The State Executive council has decided and made sure that there is no land for ranching in Ebonyi State.

“We never provided land for ranching in Ebonyi State and it is still our position and that those lands they said is for ranching is for those northern states that have always been doing ranching which have been gazzetted before now.

READ ALSO: CATTLE RANCHES: Don’t escalate crisis, PDP cautions FG as opposition mounts

“We have no idea that we were included in the ranching, we were not gazzetted. There is no land for any ranching in Ebony State and we are not aware that we are among those mentioned as ranching states.

“The Ebonyi State through the executive council wishes to state that the government has not provided or released any land for ranching, it has no plan to do that. The ranching programme being done by the Federal Government does not include Ebonyi State and it has been redirected to those states in the North where the farmlands have been gazetted and have ranching ground which they will now revitalized,” Nwobo said.

Benue State had also earlier rejected the plan to build ranches by the federal government when it stated that it has no land for the proposed cattle ranch for herdsmen.

 

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