Abuja Natives Reject Federal Govt’s Ranching Policy
Natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the aegis of the Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO) have rejected the federal government’s decision to include the nation’s capital among the pilot locations for the National Ranching Policy.
The group warned that establishing ranches in the FCT would conflict with the Abuja Master Plan and could threaten the ancestral lands, farms and livelihoods of indigenous communities in the nation’s capital.
The executive director of AOIYEO, Commandant Isaac David, stated this at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday. The action followed the disclosure by the minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, that the federal government had selected six locations for the pilot implementation of thenew ranching model.
Maiha made the disclosure after briefing President Bola Tinubu on the activities of his ministry at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday. He said that the pilot programme would commence at the Wase Grazing Reserve in Plateau State as a proof of the concept for the new ranching model.
Reacting to the decision, David said the inclusion of the FCT was unacceptable to the original inhabitants, insisting that there was no provision for ranches in the Abuja Master Plan.
“We reject this decision of the government and we will continue to reject these ranches in FCT because FCT is not meant for it. The FCT Master Plan, there is no space for, provision for ranches in FCT.
“The FCT land is meant purely for the Federal Capital City and administrative purposes. There is no ranch purpose on it. So, for this reason, we reject this. We are asking the minister to reason with us,” he said.
David said the original inhabitants had made enormous sacrifices for the establishment and development of the Federal Capital City, but had yet to receive corresponding benefits from successive governments.
He said, “We have been here before all this, before the pronouncement of relocation of Federal Capital City in 1976. The government have never considered us to cater for us with the provision of farming policy or come up with the Original Inhabitants Community Development Policy and Integration Framework.
“But imagine bringing foreigners, you are even considering their individual business of rearing cattle to set up ranches for individual business that they are not making any impact to the Federal Government. No revenue, nothing.
“We that have made contribution to the Federal Government by allowing peace to reign in FCT and using our land to build Federal Capital City, what is our achievement?”
The AOIYEO leader warned that failure by the government to engage indigenous communities on the issue could create serious tension in the territory.
“For this reason, we reject this. Failure not to reason with indigenous people or offer a dialogue roundtable discussion, then it will become a national threat. There is no where in the world where the government introduced a national ranching policy in the country’s capital city, it is not done,” David warned.
He also appealed to President Tinubu to reconsider the decision, saying that the proposed ranches could compound existing security and land ownership challenges confronting rural communities in the FCT.
David alleged that the ranching proposal was part of attempts by some interests to undermine the administration of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and destabilise the peace being witnessed in the territory.
