I am not happy and comfortable with Governor Samuel Ortom’s recent application for funds from the federal government to build ranches in Benue state for the herdsmen that have been invading the state to kill our people, rape our women, burn our houses, destroy our farms and so on.
Many people have argued that Ortom has been preaching about ranches for herdsmen and accepting the building of ranches in his state is not new but there is something they need to understand.
Collecting money from the federal government to build ranches is not a good idea. It is even better that the state government uses her money to build ranches and decide how it should be managed. Building of ranches with funds given by the federal government would make it the federal government’s project and if completed, the state cannot decide how it should be ran or managed and that will be another conflict.
The federal government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, has demonstrated its love for the herdsmen and has been supporting their atrocities. However, a governor that sees tomorrow would never accept any money from the same biased federal government to build ranches for the invaders, and as well, cannot give his people’s land to the federal government for the same purpose.
Federal government’s plan is centred on getting land from all the 36 states, especially the non-Fulani owned states, for the herdsmen, and it is immaterial to know whether it is Ruga, cattle colony or ranches the land collected will be used for.
The most important thing is that the states have given their land to the herdsmen to run their personal business, to gather more information about the states that would enable them to come up with a strategy that could help them to kill more and conquer the states eventually.
Our forefathers worked hard to get the land we are occupying today. We shall be failures, if we sit-down and watch the invaders take over our land.
So far, they have occupied some of our places after killing our people that were once the occupants of the places. We need to wake up now, fight to reclaim the collected places and defend our state.
We are becoming noise makers by always complaining to the federal government and calling on the same government to come to our rescue.
It is sad that part of our land would soon be given to the invaders for the establishment of their ranches as agreed by the Benue state governor.
Let me at this point call on Governor Ortom to rescind his decision and quickly discard the idea of giving land for ranches and that of accepting funds from the federal government for the same purpose. We need to wake up now before it is too late.
Awunah Pius Terwase,Mpape, Abuja08171565145[email protected]
It is time to defend Benue state
