Do not give FG land for cattle ranching - Ex speaker warns Oyo govt

- A former speaker, Akin Onigbinde, has warned the Oyo state government not to provide land to the federal government for cattle ranching

- He said the state government should not take any such decision without consulting the state legislature

- Onigbinde further stated that innocent people are getting killed by suspected herdsmen because the state governors are helpless

The Oyo state government has been warned by a former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Dr Akin Onigbinde (SAN), not to give land to the federal government to establish cattle ranches in the state.

Onigbinde gave the advise while speaking at a programme in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, Tribune reports.

Legit.ng gathers that the former speaker stated that the state government should not take any such decision without consulting the state legislature which would look at the issue holistically and decide on behalf of the people, whether it is right or wrong to provide land for cattle ranches for herdsmen in the state.

He opined that Nigerians have been calling for restructuring, partly because of the issue of domesticating ranches in the country.

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According to Onigbinde, each state will be able to develop at its own pace when the country is restructured. He further opined that the issue of security which is currently being poorly handled by the federal government would be better handled when the country is restructured.

He said: “I think it is important to warn the Oyo state government over the report that they want to allow the federal government program to create ranching in certain parts of the country.

“This is a decision that is so important that the state House of Assembly must be included because they are the people that represent the state and must have a say on whatever becomes of our lands in the state.

“When you have a restructured Nigerian, each of the federating units will take its destiny in its hand. For instance, Oyo state as a federating unit will be able to take its destiny in its hands especially where the issues of security are concerned.

“Nobody from Abuja, even the inspector general of Police, can understand this environment like the people living here. That is why a certain area in the state, most especially communities, set up vigilante groups by itself.”

He also lamented over the fact that state governors who are chief security officers of their respective state, have no authority over the state Police commissioners who report to the IGP in Abuja. He said innocent people are getting killed by suspected herdsmen because the state governors are helpless.

The former speaker said: “The governors have no control over the inspector general of Police. We must have a system that allows the state governor to have his own security apparatus. You call him the chief security officer of the state and you leave the powers in the hands of a third party in Abuja.

“There is no power without control; you cannot start to anticipate. Suppose you give them the power and they use it well, it will be for the benefit of everybody because we fear they may misuse it. Power tends to corrupt, that is true, but there are checks and balances which helps to ensure that no one misuses power.”

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the federal government presented a 6-point plan to end the growing crisis between herdsmen and farmers across Nigeria.

The presentation of the new plan was made by the technical adviser to the National Economic Council (NEC), Andrew Kwasari, in Abuja and attended by the minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh, and the Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom.

During the presentation, Kwasari showed that the plan stemmed from the meetings and recommendations by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and NEC in 2017.

Nigerian herdsmen vs Nigerian farmers - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng