Ruga settlement: Buhari orders suspension of scheme

…As Ohaneze rejects programme in Igboland, warns monarchs, PGs

…Foundation sues FG, prays court to rule programme illegal, unconstitutional

Mathew Dadiya, Andrew Orolua, Abuja & Moses Oyediran, Enugu

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the implementation of the controversial Ruga settlement project be suspended till further notice.

Chairman, Committee on Farmers /Herders Crisis, Governor David Umahi, disclosed this on Wednesday after the emergency meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Umahi said that President Buhari has asked them to suspend the programme considering the controversies its introduction has caused.

However, he confirmed that the suspension of the Ruga programme was to enable the Federal Ministry of agriculture, state governments and other stakeholders to review the programme taking into consideration the concerns of Nigerians.

According to him, the suspension is owing to lack of consistency with the NEC and Federal Government approved national livestock transformation plan which has programmes of rehabilitation of displaced IDPs resulting from the crisis and development of ranching in any willing state.

The NEC said it is not compulsory and any state willing is required to set up a development plan towards the implementation in line with the NEC programme based on the challenges inherent there.

Those at the meeting were governors of Ebonyi, Dave Umahi, Plateau, Simon Lalong and Kebbi, Atiku Bagudu.

The council said: “We the NEC committee on farmers/ herders crisis under the chairmanship of HE Mr. Vice President met today (Wednesday) to deliberate on the approved programme of National Economic Council (NEC) and Federal Government tagged, “the National Livestock Transformation Programme.

“We are aware that today that Mr. President has suspended the implementation of Ruga programme, initiated and being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources,

because it is not consistent with the NEC and Federal Government approved National Livestock Transformation plan which has programmes of rehabilitation of displaced IDPs, resulting from the crisis and also development of ranches in any willing state of the Federation. The word is willing state of the federation.

“The National Livestock Transformation plan, its beauty is that what NEC and FG approved is a voluntary programme to all the 36 states who may like to participate. So, it is not compulsory, it is for any state that is willing, will key into the programme.

“Any state that is interested in this programme is required to bring up a development plan that is keyed towards the implementation in line with our own programme here that is unique to his state based on the challenges that he has in respect of the crisis. That’s the decision of this committee.”

Meanwhile, the Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo has rejected the proposed Federal Government Ruga settlement and warned it to steer clear of Igboland in that regard.

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation also urged the South East governors to stick to their earlier rejection of the scheme.

It further warned traditional rulers, town union presidents, communities and individuals in the South East to be wary of lures, overtures and mouthwatering offers intended to induce them part with their land in the guise of industrial ventures.

In a strongly worded statement signed issued on Wednesday by the president general of the organisation, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, the organisation said: “The attempt by the Federal Government to foist RUGA settlements on the country has met stiff resistance from some states.

“Consequently, the protagonists of the scheme are now said to be trying to use clandestine moves to surreptitiously bring it into dissenting states through the back door.

“Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide once more restates its objection to the RUGA scheme in Igboland and urges the South East state governments to stick to their earlier decision to reject the scheme.

“Ohaneze Ndigbo also warns traditional rulers, Town Union Presidents, Communities and individuals in the South East to be wary of lures, overtures and mouthwatering offers intended to induce them to part with their land ostensibly for industrial ventures but disguised approaches to obtain land for RUGA settlements.

“Ohaneze further warned that Ndigbo will not forgive any government, community or individual that falls into this trap and will collectively resist any such move.”

Also, the board of the Incorporated Trustees of Malcolm Omirhobo Foundation has dragged the Federal Government before the Federal High Court, Abuja praying it to declare its introduction of RUGA settlements schemes in the states for Fulani herdsmen illegal and unconstitutional.

In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/761/2019 filed on Wednesday, the defendants are the Federal Government, the President, Attorney General of Federation, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, National Assembly, Accountant General of the Federation, Benue, Ekiti, Taraba and Niger states and they were listed as first to 10th respondents respectively.

The foundation in the suit is praying the court to void and annul the RUGA settlement scheme already established in Niger State and about to take off in 12 other states as pilot scheme.

The plaintiff prayed the court to restrain the Federal Government, the President, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture their servants, agents and privies from carrying on with the RUGA settlement scheme in Sokoto, Nasarawa, Kogi, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara, Adamawa, Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau and Benue states where already it has been pencilled down as pilot scheme under the policy of the Federal Government.

Plaintiff also wants the court to stop the government, the President, AGF, and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, their agents, servants and privies from imposing the its Ruga settlement policy on Benue, Ekiti, and Taraba states who already have their respective anti-open grazing laws enacted by their respective State Houses of Assembly, pursuant to the provision of paragraph 18 of the 2nd schedule to the 1999 constitution.

Aside, the foundation also sought order of the court stopping the government, president, AGF and the minister of agriculture from further trespassing on the Benue, Ekiti and Taraba land mass which their governors of the three states hold in trust for the indigenous people of the various ethnic groups in the states and other federating states under the guise of establishing Ruga settlement policy.

The court is also urged to restrain the governors of Benue, Ekiti, Taraba and Niger states and their counterparts in other 32 states as Trustees of the land of the indigenous people of the various ethnic groups of Nigeria from volunteering their land for the establishment of cattle colony or Ruga settlement throughout the country.

In addition, plaintiff sought court order restraining the National Assembly from appropriating funds to finance the establishment and implementation of the Ruga settlement scheme and another order stopping the Benue State Government from disbursing public funds to the Federal Government and the Ministry of Agriculture to finance the development, establishment and implementation of the Ruga settlement policy.

The foundation also wants the court to stop the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture from misappropriating public funds in their care or allocating or budgeting to finance the development and implementation of the Fulani Ruga farm settlement.

The originating summon filed by Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo faulted the introduction of the Fulani Ruga settlement policy of the Federal Government on the ground that the policy runs counter to the construction of Section 1 (42) 43 44 55 81 82 and 83 of the second schedule of the 1999 Constitution especially Sections 28 29 and 51 of the Lanf Use Act of 1978.

However, literary icon and Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has warned the Federal Government over its handling of the proposed new herdsmen settlement called Ruga, saying the plan to establish such colonies across the 36 states could disintegrate the country.

Speaking in Lagos at the launch of the United Nations’ Solutions 17 SDG programme on Tuesday, Soyinka derided the government for the idea, adding that the settlements can cause the country to explode.

“Ruga is going to be an explosion if not handled with care. But why do we not take our policies from good models? This is not the way people and countries deal with issues of cattle.

“I travel everywhere. It has to be handled in a way that is logical, comprehensible to the environment. When a cattle walks up to the window of my house in Abeokuta, a house which is located in a residential area, then there’s a problem.

“When cattle go to Ijebu Ode and eat up their plant seedlings and so on and you expect people to be quiet?” he stated, adding that “President Buhari deserved to have lost the last election for the lackadaisical attitude he took to the issue of cattle rearing in the country.

“People have been killed in hundreds just because of the failure of leadership at a critical time. And the cattle herders have been given a sense of impunity.

They kill without any compunction, they drive away the farmers who have been contributing to the food solutions in the country, the cattle eat their crops and then you come up with Ruga.

“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,” he said.