Spread the love
Frontline proponent of good governance and House of Representatives hopeful, Comrade Johnson Musa has opposed the creation of cattle colonies in Kogi State as proposed by Federal Government and hastily consented to by the Governor of Kogi State Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
Comrade Musa, who made this statement during a press briefing said that he had met with citizens of Kogi State cutting across the three senatorial districts to sample their feelings on the proposal.
“Kogi people are against cattle colonies; they have said that they would not relinquish their ancestral lands for the purpose of grazing reserves or colonies,” he said.
Recall that Kogi state government, last week, announced that it had embraced the policy and volunteered to pioneer the model.
Governor Yahaya Bello also invited the Fulani who may be facing difficulties elsewhere in the country to feel free to relocate to the state with a directive to the different levels of administration in the state to accommodate them and issue certificates of indigeneship to them as well.
But Comrade Musa, who lamented the attacks by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen over the years in Omala local Government, said that victims of such attacks were “not ready to accept the confiscation of their land by government”.
“Cattle colonies are deleterious to the people and will not be accepted, the Kogi State government should be aware of this.”
Comrade Musa also expressed surprise that no arrest has been made almost one month after the murder of some people in Benue State, noting that the kid glove treatment of Myetti Allah speaks volume about the neutrality of the presidency on the matter.
He urged the peaceful and law abiding people of Kogi State to totally reject cattle colony as solutions to Fulani herdsmen brutality.
Comrade Johnson Musa noted that such ‘alien land occupation’ will also cause unrest and crises that may grow beyond what the nation can handle.
He said unequivocally that the people of Kogi State would never allow any cattle colony which only favours the Fulani herdsmen and also increase Governor Bello’s affinity to Aso Villa.
“It is a paradox that the Federal government is encouraging Nigerians to go into farming while Fulani herdsmen move about with their cattle destroying the farmlands.
“Cattle-rearing and farming are business ventures. No businessman will expect any government to come and run his business for him.
“We don’t have enough land for our agricultural activities and our people want more land.
“Giving away any part of Kogi land as a colony to herdsmen, wherever they may be from, will be most unjust and unfair treatment to Kogi State and her people.
“So the best thing I think we should do is to reject such plans so that those behind it will know that Kogi State indigenes are not party to the policy” he added.
Spread the love
