Cattle Colony: Benin Monarch Scores Major Points Against Gov. Obaseki – Erasmus Ikhide
Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
The seemingly recalcitrant Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Southern Delta of Nigeria had his pernicious stance on Fulani Ruga settlement/Animal Husbandry/Cattle Colony’s faded gospel on gifting Edo land out for fulanization perforated by the Benin Monarch, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare 11, early this week.Even though a little belated, the Benin Oba Monarch raised the alarm that Herdsmen, boko Haram and armed bandits have taken over all the forest in his kingdom after Herdsmen raped and killed a lady in Okada. The Monarch’s exposition was a major indictment on the governor’s under-the-table dealings with enemies of the state.
More also, the Oba’s outbursts is coming at the backdrop of a major concern by the association of Yoruba Obas and their governors who have been holding series of meetings in the past weeks with a vehement position, rejecting Buhari’s fulanization agenda. Needless to mention the South East governors’ position that rejected Herdsmen plans to set up vigilante group to secure the Igbo indigenes. Besides, President Muhammadu Buhari has never hidden the fact that he’s an ethnic potentate and a butcher, in every respect.
Governor Godwin Obaseki and his government has been vacillating deceptively, over the desirability or otherwise of animal husbandry/cattle colony, even when Edo State was not originally listed as part of the pilot states in the north to text-run Buhari’s fulanization plot.
Vice President Yemi Osibanjo’s Media aide’s clarification put a lie to the falsehood Governor Godwin Obaseki’s government has been feeding Edo people with about the cattle colony’s gambit.
“The National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) 2019-2028 is a programme to be implemented in seven pilot states of Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba and Zamfara (as decided by NEC in January), being states on the frontlines of the Farmer-Herder crises,” Akande said in a statement.
“Afterwards, six other states have indicated readiness to also implement the plan. They are Katsina, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Ondo, and Edo states”, Akande said.
Talking seriously, of what use is Fulani terrorising Hersmen cattle colony to Edo people that would warrant the use of tax prayers money to set up animal husbandry/cattle colonies for individual private bussinessmen?
How does setting up cattle colonies in and around Edo State become a matter of urgent important when virtually all the tertiary institutions in the state have been closed down by the State Government?
How much tax is being generated from the make-shift cattle colony settlement put up by Osamede Adun, alias Bob Izua, where Fulani Hersmen slaughtered Edo lady at Okada, early this week?
The other answers Governor Obaseki and his team must be offering Edo people is why did Edo State alone subscrib to Buhari’s fulanization agenda in all the six South South States? Could it be errors of the head or errors of the heart. Was it just for the merest of political correctness?
It’s obvious that the Buhari’s bait of N100 billion to states to set up cattle colonies across the country ignited Governor Obaseki’s capitalistic consciousness, rapacious profiteering, even when such inordinate wealth comes with the imprint of blood.
It’s quite elevating that Oba Ewuare 11 did not forget his history, like the Somers of the ancient Nubian kingdom who died because the people forgot their history.
The Monarch can not forget his forebears’ historical exploits of resistance to oppressive manipulation of conscience, the dominance of the kingdom on the Africa space; the conquest and the fate of the conquered. Governor Obaseki must come clean on the touching issue of animal husbandry/cattle colony or he goes with it.
Email: ikhideerasmus@gmail.com
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