Stop Politicising Ruga settlements policy, Don warns Nigerians

A don with the University of Nigeria Nsukka, (UNN) has urged Nigerians to embrace the Federal Government Ruga settlement policy, as it would solve the attendant problems of open grazing.

Prof. Jonah Onuoha of the Department of Political Science, UNN, disclosed this in Nsukka on Tuesday that when fully established it would address the incessant clashes between herders and farmers and curb open grazing of animals that continue to pose security threat to farmers and herders.
He debunked the rumour going on in some quarters that the policy was a step by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to Islamise the country.
“To me, the aim of the policy is to end constant clashes between farmers and herders.

“If herders and their cattle are quarantined in a settlement, farmers and their crops will have a sigh of relief as there will be no cattle to destroy planted crops,” he said.
The don said there is no government plan to seize personal or state land, colonize territory or impose Ruga on any part of the Federation, while government has made it clear time and again that the programme is voluntary.

He said for this reasons government had earmarked a huge amount of money to compensate people that would donate their land for the project.
“Why I feel everybody should support the policy is because the country has lost no fewer than 1,500 people in clashes between farmers and herders, many injured while property worth billions of naria have been destroyed,” he said.

He said there are lots of benefits attached to the Ruga settlement, while the overall benefits include a drastic reduction in conflicts between herders and farmers, a boost in animal protection complete with a value chain that will increase the quality and hygiene of livestock, quality of feeding and access to animal care and private sector participation in commercial pasture production by way of investments.
The don added that the other gains are job creation, access to credit facilities and security for pastoral families and curtailment of cattle rustling.

The don further said the centre would be expanded and adequately equipped, and assured the beneficiaries that government would do all that was necessary to enlighten the herdsmen on how the use of ranches.
He said that the government would sensitise the herdsmen to the social and political benefits derivable from such settlements.
The don said contrary to the insinuations that Ruga intervention was an intention to make life more meaningful for his Fulani kinsmen, it was not only Fulani people, who reared cattle but people from different tribes in the country.

“This is a false alarm, Fulanis are not the only herders in this country, there is no tribe you will not get people who are cattle rearers.
“The time has come for us all to leave in peace in this country.
NAN recalls that on June 25 the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Mohammed Umar, announced Federal Government’s plan to establish Ruga Settlements across the country.

He said Ruga settlements had already started springing up in 11 states that had reportedly shown interest.
They are Sokoto, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kogi, Taraba, Katsina, Plateau, Kebbi, Zamfara and Niger.
According to Umar, each state will have at least six locations where nomadic herders will be settled alongside others interested in rearing animals aimed at ending constant farmers/herders conflicts.