In a
determined bid to solve the perennial clashes between farmers and herdsmen in
the various parts of the country, the Buhari administration had embarked on a vigorous
campaign for the establishment of ranches in the country. Over a year ago, the
Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chief Audu Ogbe announced that
11 state governments and the federal capital territory administration had made
available 55 hectares of land for the establishment of ranches.
He also
announced that the federal government had concluded plans to engage the
services of 3,000 young men and women to guard the proposed ranches. But for
reasons best known to the federal government the plan to set up the ranches was
jettisoned to the detriment of peace and stability of the nation.
But having
lost thousands of people and destruction of properties worth billions of Naira
in avoidable clashes between farmers and herdsmen in several parts of the
country the federal government has now decided to establish the ranches. While
this belated decision is a welcome development Chief Audu Ogbe should be
restrained from causing confusion by giving the misleading impression that the
federal government intends to allow owners of cattle to colonise the states
that have donated land for the establishment of ranches.
In other
words, Chief Ogbe should not be allowed to sabotage the establishment of the
ranches with his pet project of "Cattle Colonies ". Since a ranch is
a large area of land acquired for raising grazing livestock such as cattle or
sheep for the production of meat the proposed ranches should not be called
"cattle colonies"
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