Insecurity: Northern Governors Meet in Kaduna ….May Adopt RUGA for All Northern States
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
Following the increasing insecurity in the northern part of the country, Governors of the 19 Northern States on Thursday converged in Kaduna for an emergency meeting to deliberate the way forward.
One of the key issues the governors will also be looking at may be the adoption of the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) project, which has stirred up a lots of controversy in the country.
Briefing the media before the commencement of the meeting, Plateau State Governor And Chairman, Northern Governors Forum, Simon Bako Lalong, said the emergency meeting was summoned to enable them address some matters of urgent importance in the survival of the region and the well-being of their people.
“You will recall that during our last meeting, we deliberated extensively on many issues, particularly the nature of the insecurity currently bedeviling our region and how to deal with the situation.
“We consequently set up a Committee under the Chairmanship of His Excellency, Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, to inter-alia develop a comprehensive regional plan of action that could bring lasting solutions to the lingering crises.
“At this meeting, we shall receive briefing from this committee and also deliberate on their findings and recommendations. Another major issue we shall also deliberate on is the issue of livestock management in the country and in particular our region, which has continued to generate discourse, controversy, mis-information and even politicization.
“You are aware of the many attempts to find lasting solutions to the incessant Farmer-Harder clashes, cattle rustling and associated criminalities such as banditry, kidnapping among others.
“At this meeting, we shall deliberate on the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), which was commissioned by the National Economic Council chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and seeks to support and strengthen the development of market-driven ranches in the livestock ecosystem for improved productivity through breed improvement, pasture production, efficient land and water utilization.”
Governor Lalong, added that, “as a region that holds the comparative advantage in livestock management as an economic and socio-cultural vocation, we need to come up with a common front on how to synergize and draw from the funds available for the programme and ensure that we derive maximum benefits for our people.
“Hopefully, we shall develop strategies on how best to deal with the misinformation about the NLTF, which is sometimes confused with the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) project.
“This is important because of the urgent need to cultivate the buy-in of all stakeholders and provide a conducive environment for nomadic herders and those who rear livestock using the private/public partnership model to key into the National Livestock Trans formation Plan of the Federal Government.”
