Don’t cede South-West land for cattle ranches, Afenifere tells govs

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has called on the governors of the South-West not to provide land for the proposed cattle ranches in their respective states.

The group said any state governor who granted permission for a ranch for the Fulani herdsmen would face the wrath of the people of Yorubaland.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting of the association held at the residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Tuesday. The communiqué was read by the Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr. Yinka Odumakin.

The Afenifere noted that rearing of cattle was a private business and the government should not use public fund to establish ranches for the herdsmen.

The communiqué read in part, “The meeting rejects the idea of public funded ranches which is an imperialist agenda of creating Federal Cattle Territories across Nigeria. We insist that cattle rearing is a private business and the government has no business getting involved if there was no sinister motive. No inch of Yorubaland will be available for such and no governor should cede any land for such.”

On the recent killings in Plateau State, the socio-political organisation accused President Muhammadu Buhari of insensitivity over the development, saying the comment of the President on the matter was an indication that he supported the dastardly act allegedly carried out by some Fulani herdsmen.

The group said, “Three months ago, we did say that the President is afflicted by conflict of interests as the grand patron of Miyetti Allah and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is the affliction that has seen him now functioning as a Miiyetti Allah’s godfather at a time he should be presidential. We asked him and we are calling on him to make a choice between the two.”

While calling on Nigerians to be prayerful on the state of insecurity in the country, Afenifere charged the people to join hands together to vote out President Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

It said, “There is no land where the blood of the innocent is being shed daily like Nigeria that can make progress in any area of human endeavour. Enough is enough!”

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