Gyang Bere, Jos

Following the unabated killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen as a result of clashes with farmers, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has earmarked N250 million in the 2018 budget for the establishment Cattle Ranches.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Alh. Sani Yahaya, disclosed this during the breakdown of 2018 budget of N146.4 billion, held  at the Cabinet Office Jos, Plateau State.

“The Agricultural sub-sector is receiving a boost in this year’s budget, with the State Government allocating the Sum of N4.1 billion and N250 million was earmarked for the establishment and management of ranches.”

He said N150 million was earmarked for the acquisition of relief materials and rehabilitation of internally displaced person as a result of attacks and other natural phenomenon across the state.

In the meantime, Governor Lalong had said that his administration never considered the establishment of cattle colonies contrary to the speculations making the rounds in the state.

 

He accused his predecessor, Jonah David Jang, for endorsing and creating Grazing Reserves in the state to mitigate farmers/herdsmen clashes during his administration.

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Governor Lalong stated this, on Thursday, during the 3rd annual Plateau prayer day held at the Rwang Pam Township Stadium, Jos, Plateau State.

Said he, “My administration did not embrace the concept of Grazing Reserve as solution to abating the series of clashes, in view of the fact that in this 21st century and modern times, they are outdated, unacceptable and recurrent recipe for crisis as we have been witnessing.

“There is nothing on the part of this administration like accepting or endorsing Grazing Reserves and Grazing Bills or cattle colony related to land grabbing or seizure to be given to a particularly group of people by the state government as being erroneously insinuated and propagated by some people.”

The governor stressed that government has no right to colonise any local government in the state for any reason and urged Plateau State not to believe the rumour making the rounds, by some individual in the social media, to create tension and set the state on fire again.

Meanwhile, the senator representing Plateau North and former governor of the state, Jonah David Jang, has cautioned Governor Lalong against using government money to established ranches as he rejected the idea of colonies.

He said ranches are a private business and that individuals should curve out money and purchase land from the locals to run their business.

Jang said that Nigeria was colonised by British and there was no reason why the country should be colonised by Fulani herdsmen and urged the Federal and states governments to device another means of putting halt to killings by herdsmen.