Southern, M’Belt leaders confront govt over plans to build ranches

The insistence of President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to build ranches for herdsmen in 10 states with public funds has been frowned at by the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum.

The leaders described the position of the government as vexatious and warned against the plan to use N178 billion public funds to establish ranches.

The group’s contention is that cattle rearing is a private business and must not be funded with tax payers money.

The leaders were responding to the National Economic Council (NEC) declaration that government had approved a 10-year National Livestock Plan which would cost about N179 billion.

No less than N70 billion of the budget is meant to be disbursed between now and 2019 for the establishment of ranches in states as Oyo, Benue, Nasarawa and seven other states.

But in its statement co-signed by Yinka Odumakin for South-West region, Senator Bassey Henshaw (South-South), Chigozie Ogbu (South-East) and Dr Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt), Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum said that they are opposed to the proposed ranches with public funds.

Though they commended the government for embracing ranching for herders, the leaders however insisted that ranching has to be as being done in all civilised countries as recommended by the 2014 National Conference.

The statement read in part, “The decision to ignore this sensible recommendation has led to a situation where untold terror has been unleashed on farming communities with needless loss of hundreds of lives in the last three years with not a soul under prosecution and top functionaries of the administration making excuses for the killers.

“We, however, object to the FG’s decision to spend N179 billion of public funds to build these ranches over 10 years starting with N70 billion under this administration.”

The statement further noted that rewarding the herders with public funds to build ranches would only mean that “they have killed enough to beat the country into pacification mode and this can only encourage other people to arm themselves, cause sufficient killings to get an undue concession.”

The statement added, “What would our society become if fishermen, farmers and people in other trades begin to cause bloodbath so the Federal Government could give them special consideration?

READ ALSO: 2019: CAN denies reports that it has endorsed Buhari

“We call on the Federal Government to shelve the idea of committing public funds to ranches and allow the owners of the business to attend to their business needs in the spirit of ‘I belong to everybody’ mantra of the President.”

According to the group, those who want to engage in the business of herding should meet the states where they want to build ranches and get land to build such with firm commitment to abide by the rules of host communities .

“To go ahead with the plan is to say that cattle owners own this government and that would make other segments of society to say ‘we have no inheritance in this arrangement,” the forum noted.

 

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