Follow Us on Google
From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The three major socio-cultural organizations in Benue State have expressed mixed feelings over the Federal Government’s proposed pilot ranching scheme in Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states, saying peace, security and the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons must be prioritized and precede any ranching policy.
The organizations which include the Mdzough U Tiv, (MUT), Ochetoha k’Idoma and Omi Ny’Igede, made their position known during a press conference by the Chairman of the Benue Socio-Cultural Organizations, Air Commodore Titus Agbecha, (rtd), in Makurdi, on Friday.
Agbecha said the groups were not opposed to ranching as a modern method of animal husbandry, noting that the practice could help reduce farmer-herder conflicts and improve food security.
He, however, said the peculiar security and humanitarian situation in Benue made the proposed scheme inappropriate unless certain critical issues were first addressed by the Federal Government.
Agbecha, who was flanked during the briefing by the chairmen of Ochetoha k’Idoma and Omi Ny’Igede, Professor Yakubu Ochefu and Daniel Omeno respectively, said “As elder statesmen, we have to be very careful. We cannot reject the project in its totality because we stand to gain from it.
“But our concern mainly is the timing and the process. It’s coming at a very wrong time, wrong time in the sense that we currently have over 500,000 Benue people living in Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps across Benue State. They have no home to return to, no shelter, no farms, and no livelihood. Thus, it is unjust to talk about new land use for ranches when the owners of the land are still refugees in their own state.
“So we want these people to return to their ancestral homes first. That’s one of the conditions.
“For over 5 years, several communities in Benue State have been under siege. Our villages have been attacked, occupied, and our people killed or chased away. There has been no comprehensive mediation, no justice, and no resettlement of these communities. Establishing ranches under this atmosphere will be seen as rewarding violence and dispossession.”
He also observed that “With rapid population growth, available land in Benue and neighbouring states is under immense pressure for agricultural production. Benue remains the food basket of the nation. Any program that involves large-scale land acquisition must not undermine food production.
“In the light of the forgoing, we call on the Federal Government to prioritize the safe return and resettlement of all IDPs to their ancestral homes before any pilot scheme begins.”
The socio-cultural organizations also demanded genuine mediation, improved security and the restoration of communities allegedly occupied or deserted as a result of attacks, insisting that “peace must precede policy.”
Agbecha, who stated that dialogue and the consent of host communities were essential to the success of any ranching programme, added that land acquisition must involve proper consultation, consent and adequate compensation.
He said the groups were not against modern ranching but insisted that any such programme must be voluntary, community-driven and structured in a manner that would not displace agricultural production.
He said “Land is a sensitive issue and cannot be imposed. We are not against modern ranching, but it must be voluntary, community-driven, and must not displace food production.”
He called on Benue residents to remain calm and law-abiding, assuring them that the socio-cultural organizations were engaging relevant authorities to ensure that their concerns were addressed through dialogue.
“Benue is the food basket of the nation. For Nigeria to be food secure, Benue farmers must first be secure on their land,” Agbecha said.
