Opinion: To Accept Or Reject Proposed Kogi Cattle Colony

Nigeria the most populous country in Africa

has experienced security challenges over the

years. The security problem posed to the

country by the dreaded Boko Haram

insurgency seems to dwindle with the

coming of President Muhammad Buhari who

has not left any stone untouched as he

indeed deployed his military experience to

quench the rising spate of suicide killing and

bomb blast in the country.

Despite the giant achievement of the

President in nailing Boko Haram insurgents

to the cross, one other which has become a

recurring decimal and even a night-mare to

Nigerians these days is the issue of Fulani

herdsmen who are found wanting in invading

farm land, destroy crops and sometime kill

Farmers for dare resisting cattle grassing

the farm crops.

It is instructive to note that the issue of

herdsmen and farmers clashes predated

President Muhammad Buhari’s

administration as former President Jonathan

experienced it too during his own time.

Recall that with the rising cases of killing

during Fulanis and Farmers crises, the

previous administration in a bid to address

the menace mooted the idea of establishing

Ranches for the Cattle Rearers in the

Country.

Former President Jonathan did not stop at

this as he mandated the Central Bank of

Nigeria to disburse N100Bilions to Governors

for the establishment of Ranches in their

respective States. The move was primarily

aimed at settling Cattles in one place for

rearing so as to minimize frequent killing of

people on an account of Fulani herdsmen

and Farmers’ clashes.

The former Governors of these respective

States who were of different political

affiliations then did not establish the

Ranches in their States as the said fund was

presumed to have gone in to the private

pockets.

With the renewed killing of people by Fulani

herdsmen across States of the federation in

the recent time, there has been debate as to

whether the present administration should go

ahead and dust the recommendation of the

previous administration on the establishment

of Ranches in every States of the federation.

As the debate lingered, the Governor of Kogi

State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has declared open

to the public and even paid visitation to

presidency that he is ready to kick start the

pioneer Ranching Project in Kogi State. The

declaration of Governor Bello in this regard

has generated mix reaction across the

sections of the State.

Some have condemned the planned Ranches

in Kogi State while others were of the view

that the project is a welcome development

as Fulani herdsmen are also Nigerians who

are free to reside in any part of the Country.

Disturbed by the above subject matter, I

deem it feet to take my pen to paper to

express my feeling on the said project. I

must start by saying that Nigeria operates

federal system of government and each

component unit is chaired by the Governor.

The Governors of these States place the

interest of their citizens first before others.

Also in States across the federation, Lands

are owed by communities, clans and sub

clans in most cases too. I can vividly recall

that anytime any administration wants to

establish any project in any community,

these respective clans must be consulted for

the land acquisition.

Going by my explanation on the acquisition

of Land, if the State Governor still intends to

go ahead with the planned Ranches, he

needs to contact these respective Land

owners for the Cattle Colony project. These

Clans will in turn debate among themselves

as to whether to permanent release their

Land for project or not. I have a question to

ask here, will these clans be ready to

release their portion of their Lands to

government for the Cattle Colony project

when they know that the Fulanis shall

occupy it and never to be farmed by them

again?

Even if Governor Bello forcefully acquires

any Kogi land for the Ranching project,

whose interest will he be advancing or

protecting in this case? Let me also alert

Governor Bello that long dream of Ebira

people to clamour for the power shift and to

have a taste of the number one seat in the

State was not for the fun of it. Kogi Central

people agitated for power shift to create an

avenue for them to bring developmental

projects to Kogi Central just like how past

Governors of the State have done which led

to the establishment of Kogi State

University, Anyigba.

Going by my saying, will the citing of Cattle

Ranches in Kogi Central be a thing of joy to

Ebira people? Will this administration counts

it as dividends of democracy to Kogi State?

Will history remembers Governor Bello’s

administration for good for forcefully giving

our ancestral Lands to Fulani herdsmen on

the guise of Ranches and who tomorrow will

in turn clash with our Villagers and drag

rightful ownership of the said portion of

Land allotted to them?

If the answers to the above questions are

not on the positive side, I strongly advise my

dear Governor to trend softly on the propose

Cattle Colony. Governor Bello should be

reminded that he owes entire Kogi people all

sense of responsibilities and not Fulanis

herdsmen and their Cattle Owners. Let me

therefore remind him that going ahead with

the planned Cattle Colony in Kogi State will

spell doom for his administration as it will

rubbish all his good works so far in the

State. His insistence on establishing Cattle

Colony shall de-market him in the next Kogi

election as his opponents shall use that to

campaign against him. The implication of

this that those who did not buy the idea of

the Cattle Colony project in Kogi Central and

Kogi as a whole would rise in union to vote

against your re-election.

To conclude, I must make it clear that Ebira

people have had enough crises inter-

communal and chieftaincy tussle crises

which had led to the loss of lives in the time

past. For the reason, the Kogi central people

cannot afford to embrace the planned Cattle

Colony which will tomorrow triggered up

Fulanis and Ebira people crises.

I therefore task Governor Bello to use his

good connection with President Buhari to

echo to his ears to ensure the completion of

Ajaokuta Steel and Itakpe Iron Ore

Companies both situated in Kogi State. He

should also on his part bring Kogi State

University of Technology to Kogi Central as

Ebira people are not known for rearing of

Cattle and as such Cattle Colony is not our

priority.

– Shaibu Stephen Ojate, a journalist and

public affairs commentator, writes from

Abuja.

09075716236.