No State Will Be Compelled To Provide Grazing Land – Ogbe

In recent times Fulani herdsmen known for their nomadic activities across the 6 Geo-political zones of the country and other West African countries where they can be found in large numbers, have rained havoc on their host communities sparing not even the land that gives their livestock food.

Although some leaders of the Fulani communities in the affected parts of the country have come out to deny their kinsmen, claiming that the gunmen who unleash terror on their host communities only masquerade as Fulani herdsmen. However that is no longer the issue at hand.

What is more disturbing is the proposed grazing land for the Fulani cattle rearers by the Federal Government, albeit Chief Audu Ogbe has come out to clear the air.

As the controversy surrounding the demarcation of grazing ground for Fulani Cattle rearers in the states by the Federal Government ranges on, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe Monday threw more light on the controversy.

The Minister on a working visit to Adamawa State told Newsmen at the Palace of the Lamido Adamawa after a courtesy call that the Federal Government has now shelved the issue of grazing land or fields and has opted for ranches.

According to Ogbeh, those states that do not want grazing fields will not be forced, but was quick to ask, “Why do people do this as if they do not eat meat?”

He pointed out that the Federal Government wants to develop ranches so that herdsmen can keep their cattle where they can be well fed.

The Minister stressed that they are asking people to willingly allow them develop paddocks so that Fulani’s can water their cattle. Speaking further, he noted that the business is to see that the Fulanis will stop their nomadic lives. “The business of government is to find equitable solution to the problem as such the government will not force any state to provide grazing land”, he declared.

Audu said, “Nobody was supposed neither to carry weapon nor kill anybody and so the only way to do it is to develop ranches. He wondered why a country with 45 million hectares of land can’t accommodate 20 million cows.”

Audu Ogbeh advised Nigerians not to see religion and ethnicity in every aspect of life. More so, that the Fulani man who moves around does not value his life because his cattle are not fed.

Vanguard