FG’s committee on herders/farmers crisis visits Benue

The Federal Government’s committee saddled with the responsibility of finding solution to herders/farmers crisis in some states of the country has visited Benue State and assured the people of their commitment to do a thorough job.

The team led by the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, on behalf of the substantive Chairman of the committee and Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo, gave the assurance at the stakeholders interactive session which held in Makurdi on Sunday night until early hours of Monday.

Umahi in a remark on behalf of his team condemned the recent killings in Benue State  and other parts of the country as he stressed that the crisis in Benue was a delicate one which must be handled with open minds.

“We are here to tell you that we feel your pains because whatever happened to Benue may affect other ethnic groups in Nigeria. That was why at the National Economic Council meetings, the issue of farmers and herdsmen crisis were discussed extensively after which agreement was reached that a nine-man committee be set up to proffer sustainable solutions to the crisis between the two bodies,” he said.

The Ebonyi governor went on to dismissed insinuations about the federal government ordering states to allocate five hectares of land for cattle colonies, saying that the rumour speculated widely on the social media was not true.

He added that they were in Benue in furtherance of their meetings where it was also agreed that sub committees should be set up to visit four most affected states of the crisis which included, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna and Plateau states in order to interact with the people and get their perspective of the worrying matter.

“We (Umahi led sub-committee) have heard the perspective of the Benue people and shall also try to hear the  perception of the herdsmen so that sustainable resolutions can be found. The herdsmen/farmers crisis is not a Benue problem alone but a national problem which requires national attention and solutions,” Umahi added.

Responding, Governor Samuel Ortom, used the opportunity to react to the statement made by Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State who was alleged to have insisted that he had cautioned him (Ortom) against the implementation of the Benue’s anti-open grazing law.

Ortom explained that Lalong had said at a meeting of the Vice President Committee in which he was represented by his deputy, Engr. Benson Abounu, that he (Lanlong) stood by his words but had earlier apologised to him (Ortom) because the pressure was too much on him.

The Benue governor however pointed out that Lalong was being economical with the truth, adding that at no point in time had the Plateau state governor cautioned him against the implementation of the law as he further used the same medium to urge Lalong to mind his business.

“Tell him (Lalong) to mind Plateau business and I will mind Benue business. If we are wrong in enacting the law let the federal government come out and tell us and nothing short of this is accepted,” Ortom stressed.