A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State and the party’s 2027 State Assembly candidate for Mataa State Constituency, Chief Bemgba Iortyom, has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed National Ranching Policy, describing it as an attempt to revive the controversial RUGA settlement initiative previously rejected by the people of the state.

Iortyom, in a statement at the weekend, said the disclosure by the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, that Benue was among five states and the Federal Capital Territory selected for the pilot implementation of the policy should “set alarm bells ringing” across the state.

The minister had said the programme would involve the establishment of grazing reserves equipped with housing, veterinary clinics, schools, primary healthcare centres, solar lighting and water infrastructure for herders and their livestock, with the settlements expected to develop into economic hubs.

Reacting, Iortyom questioned whether the proposed arrangement was fundamentally different from the RUGA settlements introduced under former President Muhammadu Buhari, which were strongly opposed in Benue.

“Strip away the attractive language and the question becomes unavoidable: How fundamentally different is this from the RUGA settlements which Benue people overwhelmingly rejected?” he asked.

He recalled that between 2015 and 2023, Benue rejected several Federal Government proposals, including cattle colonies, grazing routes, RUGA settlements, the National Livestock Transformation Plan and initiatives linked to the Water Resources Bill, all of which were presented as measures to address farmer-herder conflicts.

According to him, the position maintained by the administration of former Governor Samuel Ortom was that livestock farming remained a legitimate private business and that livestock owners should acquire land lawfully and establish ranches, just as crop farmers and other private entrepreneurs were required to do.

Iortyom said the principle remained valid, arguing that the Federal Government should encourage livestock owners to acquire land legally for ranching rather than use public resources to establish settlements for herders on ancestral lands belonging to farming communities.

He questioned the rationale for providing housing, schools, healthcare facilities, water and electricity to proposed herders’ settlements in communities where residents themselves were still deprived of basic infrastructure.

“How fair is it to spend public resources to provide housing, schools, clinics, water and electricity on special herders colonies established where the host farming communities that have existed for generations still lack those same amenities?” he asked.

The PDP chieftain also demanded clarification on where land for the proposed ranching programme would come from in Benue, who owned such land, which communities had consented to its release and the size of the areas involved.

He said the questions were central to land ownership, community security and the survival of affected communities.

Iortyom further faulted the government’s continued description of the crisis as a “farmer-herder conflict”, arguing that any genuine solution must also address the losses suffered by farmers whose lives, homes, farms and livelihoods had allegedly been destroyed in attacks.

“You cannot claim to be solving a conflict between two groups while designing the solution around the security, economic interests and well-being of only one of them,” he said.

On references to old grazing routes and grazing reserves, Iortyom said Nigeria could no longer govern contemporary land use based on assumptions made decades ago, stressing that population growth, expansion of settlements and increased competition for land had fundamentally changed the circumstances.

He also cited Benue’s Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017, which came into force in 2018, saying the law represented the state’s deliberate decision to embrace ranching while rejecting open grazing and government-imposed grazing colonies.

However, Iortyom accused the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia of allowing the law to become ineffective, alleging that its weak enforcement had contributed to the escalation of killings and destruction in farming communities.

He argued that laws required sustained enforcement to become effective.

Iortyom therefore challenged Governor Alia to publicly clarify whether his administration consented to Benue’s inclusion in the Federal Government’s proposed National Ranching Policy, warning that silence could be interpreted as acceptance.

“If the governor has not consented to include Benue in the proposed policy for herdsmen colonies, he must publicly state so, to keep the minds of the people at rest,” he said.

He added that any agreement should clarify the land involved, community consultation, legislative approval and compatibility with the state’s anti-open-grazing law.

Iortyom warned that continued silence on what he described as a sensitive and volatile issue could deepen anxiety among residents already traumatised by years of attacks and displacement. (Vanguard)

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