…Lists expectations
By Henry Uche
A critical stakeholders of Igbo-Ano zone in Uzo-Uwani LG of Enugu State is calling on the state governor, Dr Peter Mbah to rescind his decision to site a cattle ranch in Nimbo community.
The call was contained in an open letter signed by the President and General Secretary of IGBO-ANO Big Stars Club (IBS), Dr. Marcel Ugochukwu Onochie, and Mr. Festus Ifeanyi Okagu, respectively, and addressed to the governor.
In the letter made available to Daily Sun newspaper, the group said the people of Igbo-Ano zone comprising Abbi, Ugbene, Nimbo and Nrobo communities were unequivocally opposed to this ranching policy, saying it is obnoxious and anti-people.
Earlier, the State government through the commissioners for information and communication, Aka Eze Aka released a statement on the intention of Government to site cattle ranches in three Local government areas as part of its plan to implement the prohibition of open grazing law of Enugu state through the designation of specific areas of grazing, in order to discourage and enforce sanctions against open grazing.
According to the commissioner, the state government also intends to use the ranch project to curb the rising insecurity, including kidnapping, murder and rape being perpetrated by mostly herdsmen in the local government.
In reaction, the group said, “Nimbo community in particularly, Igbo-ano zone and Uzo-Uwani in general are united in total rejection of this ill-conceived project.
“The reasons for this total rejection stems not just from the poor community engagement but also the fact that we view the proposed project as anti-thetically and incongruous with the expectations from this government. As such the proposed initiative is viewed from prism of a more sinister undertone.
“It also undermines the sensibilities of our citizens considering how fresh it is in our minds the unwarranted massacre of our people in Nimbo in 2016 by Fulani herdsmen. The physical and psychological trauma of that ugly incident have pushed many families in our dear zone into post traumatic stress disorder of unquantifiable proportion”
IBS maintained that such decision to annex any parcel of land belonging to the victims of the same murderous marauding herdsmen to the perpetrators of such heinous crime, smacks of insensitivity of no small magnitude.
They reminded the governor of campaign promises to the people of Uzo- Uwani, among others: To establish a university of Agriculture, roads construction to enable them do business with neighboring states as they are endowed with rich agricultural deposits. “The Adarice project is a typical example and we urge your government to harness the potentials in Adarice to help quell the biting food crises bedevilling the country.
“Asides the University of Agriculture you promised, Uzo-Uwani in general and Igbo- ano in particular deserves a school of nursing to be sited at Osoma, a palm processing mill within Igbo-Ano to help harness the rich palm produce of the area to help keep the people engaged for the benefit of the entire state. Cassava processing centres in the every town and villages in Uzo-Uwani will be an added advantage to the state as well”
They decried the government’s disregard towards them in terms of siting projects against the economic importance of the community in the state. “In January 2024, your government in collaboration with International Fund for Agricultural Development programme-value chain Development programme (IFAD-VCDP), inaugurated rice mills, solar- powered borehole and cassava processing centre in five local governments of the state (Enugu East, Nkanu East, Isi Uzo and Udenu) to assist rural farmers and Uzo- Uwani was left out. This was strange considering the strategic importance of Uzo-Uwani in cassava and rice production in the state.
“IBS as an organization whose interest lies in the socio-economic, environmental, developmental and cultural well-being of all peoples in Igbo-ano zone of Uzo-Uwani LG of Enugu state hereby express our total and undiluted rejection of the proposed ranching to settle herdsmen in Nimbo community or anywhere else within Igbo-ano zone and Uzo-Uwani LG in general” they asseverated.