I’m not supervising Ruga settlements, says Osinbajo
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says his office has no hand in the setting up of Ruga settlement in some parts of the country.
According to the federal government, Ruga settlement is an initiative meant to address the incessant clashes between cattle rearers and farmers.
An official of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) had said the vice-president’s office is overseeing the settlement.
Baba Ngelzarma, MACBAN general secretary, made the claim when he featured on a Channels Television programme on Friday morning.
But reacting via Laolu Akande, his spokesman, Osinbajo said the Ruga settlement “is not being surpervised” by his office.
He also said the initiative is different from the livestock transformation plan approved under the auspices of the national economic council (NEC) which he chairs.
He said the plan had been approved by the council in January based on the recommendations of one of its committees featuring mostly governors of the frontline states in the farmer-herder crises.
“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
“The plan has six pillars through which it aims to transform the livestock production system in Nigeria along market oriented value chain while ensuring an atmosphere of peace and justice.
“The six key pillars include: economic investment, conflict resolution justice and peace humanitarian relief and early recovery human capital development and cross-cutting issues such as gender, youth, research and information and strategic communication.”
The statement added that the federal government will not impose any initiative on states.
Do kindly assist in ensuring that the opportunity for this initiative gets opened to all Nigerians to participate. Let the framework institute indigenes of each state to lead local initiatives. Supplies could come through any parts of the world though. This will enhance trust amongst Nigerians as the ethnic and religious colouration of this initiative is high!