A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State, Bemgba Iortyom, has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed plan to establish government-funded ranches for herders in the state, arguing that livestock farming is a private business and should be financed by those engaged in it.
Iortyom, who is the PDP’s 2027 State House of Assembly candidate and a former state publicity secretary of the party, made his position known in a statement issued on Saturday and made available to journalists in Makurdi. He was reacting to the Federal Government’s reported plan to select Benue among five states for a pilot ranching programme aimed at addressing recurring farmer-herder clashes.
The PDP chieftain urged the Federal Government to encourage livestock owners to acquire land legally and establish ranches with their own resources, rather than using public funds to provide infrastructure for individual businesses.
According to Iortyom, livestock farming should be treated in the same way as other private businesses. He argued that crop farmers and other entrepreneurs are responsible for acquiring land and providing the facilities needed for their businesses, and livestock owners should not be treated differently.
He also questioned the underlying focus of the proposed ranching policy, asking why the proposed solution to the farmer-herder crisis appeared to concentrate primarily on herders and livestock.
Iortyom further called for the interests of farming communities affected by years of attacks and displacement to be included in any discussion surrounding the policy. He questioned whether compensation for farmers who had lost lives, homes and property would form part of the government’s plans.
He also asked why representatives of affected farming communities, traditional institutions and landowners were not prominently represented in discussions about the proposed ranches.
The former PDP spokesman recalled previous Federal Government initiatives aimed at addressing farmer-herder clashes, including grazing routes, cattle colonies, the controversial RUGA settlements and the National Livestock Transformation Plan.
He maintained that Benue residents had rejected those initiatives because, in his view, they placed the responsibility for resolving the crisis on communities that had already suffered deaths, displacement and destruction of property.
Iortyom therefore warned against any attempt to acquire or allocate ancestral land belonging to farming communities for government-established settlements for herders.
Instead, he said the Federal Government should focus on creating an enabling environment for livestock owners to modernise their businesses and acquire land legally for ranching.
His position comes amid renewed debate over the Federal Government’s ranching policy as authorities seek long-term solutions to persistent clashes between farmers and herders in parts of the country. The government has increasingly promoted ranching as an alternative to open grazing, with Benue included among states being considered for pilot implementation.
Post a Comment