The South East and South-South governors have said that they never agreed on the proposed Ruga settlements for herdsmen in their zones. The governors said the agreement they reached with Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has nothing to do with Ruga settlements.
Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, recalled that the agreement was that members of MACBAN would bring their cows to sell and take back grass in return to feed their herds. The Governors made this known on Sunday, June 30, in a press statement issued by Governor Umahi.
They rejected the proposed Ruga farm settlements of the federal government for herdsmen across states of the federation, saying they have no plans for such settlements in their zones. Their joint decision which was contained in a statement issued by Umahi, through his media aide, Emmanuel Uzor, in Abakaliki, said the South East and the South-South governors were joining other political zones in the country to deny members of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) of Ruga settlement in their areas.
The statement said Umahi asked the members of MACBAN to accept anti-grazing law established by the federal government in the northern region long ago. According to Umahi, the south east, being an agrarian region, is faced with limited landmass and cannot accommodate any Ruga settlement. The governor further charged the federal government to follow the recommendations reached by the technical committee on farmers and herdsmen clash carved from the federal Economic Council. “Umahi was the chairman of NEC sub technical committee on farmers and herdsmen clash and he toured the states of Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Zamfara and two other states where he made in one of his recommendations to the federal government for revamping of grazing reserve in the north where all the cattle rearers in the South will take their cattle to and rely on the grass that are grown in the South,” the statement noted.
