The Nigerian Government has suspended its plan to establish pastoral settlements, otherwise known as Ruga settlements, for herdsmen across the country.
The government’s suspension of the Ruga programme is coming after several prominent Nigerians and groups condemned it for various reasons.
The development was confirmed to Channels TV by an unnamed presidential source.
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The Presidency had amid the criticisms explained that the proposed Ruga settlement was aimed at finding a lasting solution to the endless clashes between farmers and herders in the country.
Presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, had in a statement said the scheme seeks to settle migrant pastoral families as “animal farmers, not just cattle herders, will be settled in an organized place with provision of necessary and adequate basic amenities such as schools, hospitals, road networks, vet clinics, markets and manufacturing entities that will process and add value to meats and animal products.”
Shehu revealed that about 11 states had indicated interest to have the pastoral settlements established in their states.
But the proposed programme continued to receive negative feedbacks from Nigerians despite the explanation offered by the Presidency.
Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka had warned on Tuesday that: “I think that there is going to be trouble in this country if this Ruga thing is not handled imaginatively and with humanity as priority. Any country where cattle take priority over human life is definitely at an elementary stage.”
Meanwhile, different socio-political groups such as the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere, and the Middle Belt Forum, among others, have all condemned the establishment of Ruga settlements in parts of the country.
Afenifere had described the proposed plan as a confirmation of former President Olusegation Obasanjo’s revelation that there was a plot to “Fulanise Nigeria”.
The group’s spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, had said: “When former President Obasanjo said there was a plan to ‘Fulanise’ Nigeria, they said it was not so, but what are you doing? For us in the South-West, no inch of Yorubaland would be given for Ruga because it is a plan to colonise the country. It is like what the British did.”
He said, “Now that they are talking of local government autonomy, the plan is to turn the Ruga settlements to local governments for the Fulani in the future. So we reject the agenda, we don’t accept it,” adding that, “We are enlightened people; we can’t be deceived by such a ruse. They don’t care about the unity of this country and they are running Nigeria in a sectional way and pandering to clannish interests.”
The President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, had also said: “Ohanaeze is appealing to the Federal Government to allow peace to reign in Nigeria. Buhari should pursue the global best practices in his quest to plant his kinsmen in all parts of Nigeria.”