RUGA: We’ll rather sell grass in exchange for meat– S’East Govs

Southeast governors have said that they would rather sell grass in exchange for meat, instead of ceding any part of the land in any state of the region for the establishment of Ruga.

The chairman of Southeast Governors Forum, who is also the governor of Ebonyi state, Dave Umahi of Ebonyi revealed this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Emma Uzor, in Abakaliki on Sunday.

His reaction comes in the wake of plans by the Federal Government to create Ruga settlements in states across the country.

Umahi explained that the South-east zone had proposed a deal with the members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) as a panecea to achieving lasting peace between farmers and herdsmen.

His words; “There is no plan for any Ruga settlement in any part of South-East and South-South zones; but we made a proposed deal with MACBAN that can allow the zone to become very good business with sale of grasses to the herdsmen in exchange for meat.

“There will be no part of the South-East that will be given out for the purpose of establishment of Ruga, the zone is purely agrarian with limited landmass for farming and therefore can not accommodate Ruga establishment.

“We actually proposed a deal with MACBAN to take their cattle to the Northern parts where grazing reserves were established long time ago and rely completely on the grasses grown in the South for feeding of their cattle.”

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Umahi, who was the Chairman of Technical Committee on Farmers and Herdsmen clash carved from the National Economic Council headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, also explained that the committee had recommended the revamping of existing grazing reserves in Nigeria.

He said that revamping of the already existing grazing reserves in various parts of the North as recommended by the committee was to enable farmers to have unhindered access to their farmlands while herdsmen rely solely on proceeds from the farmers.

“Part of committee’s recommendations to the federal government were the revamping of grazing reserves in the North where all the cattle rearers in the South will take their cattle to these places and rely on the grasses that are grown in the South.

“The way it works is that the herdsmen will bring down their cows to the South-East and sell to us as meat while they will load the grasses which are grown here in the same vehicles with which they transported their cows to feed their cattle in those grazing reserve.

“With this proposed deal, herdsmen are expected to embrace anti-open grazing by returning to the ranches in the North and do their business on the trade by barter basis of selling cows to the South and buying grass to feed their cows in the North.”

The governor, however, appealed to the youths in the region to embrace tolerance and eschew hate speech.

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