The Kogi State government has declared that it has no intention of backing off its generous accommodation of herdsmen and development of agriculture in the state, despite criticism from certain quarters.
Some prominent citizens of Kogi are opposed to Governor Yahaya Belloโs allocation of 15,000 hectares to the federal government for use as cattle ranches.
One of such is Alhaji Mohammed Baba Abdulrahman, a chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and of Ebirra stock as Bello.
He branded Belloโs action as a coup against the Ebirra and a threat to peace.
Reacting to Abdulrahmanโs statement, Governor Belloโs Chief Press Secretary, Petra Akinti Onyegbule said people like the ACF chief are behind the news.
Government, according to her, decided to support the establishment of ranches, after listening to the views of the generality of the people of the state.
She said the ranches will go a long way in developing the cattle value chain.
According to her, โOne suspects that Mr. Abdulrahmanโs grouse goes beyond the use of the word โcolonyโ to the whole idea of supporting herdsmen while promoting peaceful co-existence and ensuring security of lives and property.
โOn Wednesday, February 28, the Northern Governorsโ Forum met in Kaduna; following that meeting, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State issued a communiquรฉ on behalf of all the 19 governors stating their stand to support cattle ranches and the event was well covered and widely reported.
โAlhaji Mohammed may have spoken a little too soon; it is either that, or he is unaware that the train has already left the station, in which case he might want to expand the scope of his criticism given this recent development if it indeed is his considered position that government should not venture into cattle ranching.
โWe appreciate the fact that cattle herding is age old in this country, and that the herders have become accustomed to the practice and the nomadic way of life it entails but a time comes when it is imperative for people to alter their usual ways of doing things, especially given the incalculable cost this particular matter comes at in terms of loss of human lives, possessions, not to mention the inter-ethnic tensions generated as a result that are capable of destabilizing the country.
โWe cannot keep doing the same things and honestly expect different outcomes; for us to break out of this vicious cycle of cattle herding, cattle rustling, attacks and reprisal attacks, and in keeping with what works in other climes, cattle ranching needs to be looked into and pursued vigorously.โ
Akingbule said critics of the cattle ranching initiative appear to favour the continued practise of cattle herding while holding on to incorrect assumptions and a wrong notion that government may have to cede public land to individuals for what is essentially private business.
โIt is no different from the current practice where government land is freely given out to crop farmers from time to time and they would also get seedlings, fertilisers and other farm inputs,โ she said.
