Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, says his administration has
not embraced cattle colonies or grazing reserves as part of efforts to end the
herder/farmer crisis in the state.
In a statement by Nathaniel Ikyur, his chief press
secretary, Ortom accused Lauretta Onochie, presidential aide, of giving a false
narrative on his stand on the implementation of the National Livestock
Transformation Plan (NLTP).
According to the governor, Onochie made it seem like the
state supports grazing reserves, because Benue is listed as one of the states
that applied for funds from the federal government for the purposes of
establishing ranches.
But the governor said his government only agreed to key into
the NLTP because it was approved by the National Economic Council (NEC).
The NLTP was introduced by the federal government to address
the farmer-herder crisis in the country.
As of June, the ministry of agriculture said 22 states and
the federal capital territory (FCT) have registered for the project.
According to Ortom, Benue will only implement aspects of the
plan that suits its peculiarities.
“Onochie made
spurious allegations, painting the picture that Governor Ortom supports RUGA
because the State Government was listed as one of the states that applied for
funds from the Federal Government for the purposes of establishing ranches,”
the statement reads.
“It is on record that Governor Ortom has rejected all manner
of coinage from the Federal Government in a bid to grab land from Benue State.
“When the Federal Government toyed with so many ideas,
ranging from Open Grazing, Grazing Reserves, Grazing Routes, Cattle Colony,
RUGA and lastly Farm Centres in the 109 Senatorial Districts across the country
in a very suspicious manner, Governor Ortom rose up and opposed it. He rejected
any of such policies bring imposed on
Benue. He has not shifted from that position.
“The Benue State Government only accepted to key into the
National Livestock Transformation Program (NLTP) because the National Economic
Council (NEC), which has the 36 state governors as members, approved the
National Livestock Transformation Plan which after series of engagement
incorporated suggestions by stakeholders from the State.
“The NLTP provides
that States are at liberty to adopt and implement aspects of the plan that suit
its peculiarities. Unfortunately, the presidency rejected this but would rather
continue to dribble Nigerians.
“For us in Benue State, our peculiarities are that we have a
ranching law and in the area of livestock farming, our competetive advantages
include indigenous cattle, piggery, goats, fisheries, etc. All these have been
captured in the Plan and Benue State has accepted the implementation of the
Plan based on these conditions.
“Benue State has continued to reject the establishment of
Cattle Colonies, Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) settlements and Grazing Reserves or
any other form of coinage previously proposed by the Federal Government
allegedly to curb farmers-herders’ clashes across the country because it had
every tendency of subterranean plots to undermine the safety and lives of the
indigenous people of the State.
“Benue State’s position has therefore not changed.”
The governor warned Onochie — whose nomination as a
commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was
rejected by the senate after public outcry — to desist from attempting to use
him “to warm her way back into the consciousness of the President for
patronage”.
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