CSOs make case for RUGA, call for calm

A body of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has made a case for the RUGA plan of the federal government that has generated varying reactions across the country.
The body under the umbrella of Conference of Civil Society of Nigeria in a statement signed by Mr. David Aches Aru, Director of Information, urged the general public to keep calm and disregard the unnecessary anxiety and tension inflamed around this policy of Government designed to end bloodletting in Nigeria.
The statement reads, “After our round of research and investigations into the RUGA plan of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we are obliged as an umbrella body of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria to react to the recent anxiety, misconception and falsehood spun around the program.
“First, the word RUGA is same as RANCH, and under the policy, lands are NEVER to be expropriated forcefully from any State(s). The required land are the 415 Old Grazing Reserves acquired by government and gazetted as far back as the 1960s, the largest concentration being in Adamawa State. In Niger State alone, there are 87000 hectares. Same is true for Wase in Plateau State and Kaduna State to mention a few. The total area covered by this grazing reserves is over 6,000,000 hectares all in the Northern region of Nigeria where the crisis has been most prevalent and where cattle are mostly found. Government has thus absolutely no need for new land in any state other than the ones that already exist, hence speculations to the contrary are false, unsubstantiated without evidence, pathetic and most unfortunate. “Secondly, The Recent Announcement That The Program Covers 36 States Of The Federation Is A Malpresentation And Blatant Lie. The Federal Executive Council Approved The Program For 12 States comprising Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue, Adamawa, Taraba, Kano and Kwara that were severely affected by the herder farmer conflict.
“Thirdly, the immediate past Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu  Ogbeh had discussed extensively with the Governor of Benue State Dr. Samuel Ortom during the presidential campaign when President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR visited the state, that only dams would be built for the use of ranching by indigenes of the state, who may wish to go into Ranching programs in the future, since the state had no land for anything that had to do with cattle. Hence there was no plan to impose RUGA on Benue or any other state in Nigeria. “Fourthly, the program is open to all Nigerians as well as foreigners who are willing to invest in the cattle industry and NEVER for only the Fulanis or for administration of ‘FULANIZATION’ as being speculated. The entire idea is simply to stop open grazing and eliminate conflict, and the users of these facilities are to pay for them afterall. The program has succeeded in Pakistan, Tanzania and is currently been implemented in Ghana, and hence the unnecessary hype and spread of hatred around it in Nigeria is uncalled for. Anyone with a more brilliant idea, is urged to bring it on board. Nigeria is one of the very few countries in the world were herders still go around in the name of a culture.
“Fifthly, the philosophy and benefits of the program are to end the bloodletting associated with cattle rearing in Nigeria, improve the breed and quality of cattle, prevent roaming of cattle, encourage and modernize cattle rearing, encourage all Nigerians (Yorubas, Idomas, Fulanis, Tivs, Beroms, Jukuns, Ijaws, Hausas, Igbos and others) to go into the business, improve and increase the production of beef and milk, cut down on expenditure of an annual $1.2b cost of milk importation, control diseases among cattle which are transferable to human beings, save crop farmers from the menaces of cattle and eliminate conflicts and hatred amongst ethnic groups. And these long-term benefits will be there for every Nigerian to see in a short while, especially now that individuals in many parts of the country are developing their own facilities to keep cattle.
“Finally, if any Official(s) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have given contrary impressions to those expressed above, it is definitely not the plan of the Federal Government as stated earlier by the immediate past Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development.”