• Friday, March 29, 2024
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FG budgets N2.2b for RUGA implementation in 2019 budgets- Enang

RUGA

Indications emerged weekend that federal government is pushing ahead with the implementation of the controversial “Ruga” policy, as the sum of N2.2b has been budgeted for it in the 2019 Appropriation laws.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate) Matters, Ita Enang made the revelations weekend, while calling on States in the southern part of the country to support the implementation of the proposed Ruga cattle settlement programme by making land available.

Enang who is yet to be reappointed but has been functioning in that capacity like others, disclosed that the N2.258 billion was provided for the implementation of the Ruga programme in the 2019 budget, when he hosed Law students of Akwa Ibom origin who are attending Law School in Abuja

Enang explained that “Ruga is not derived from Hausa or Fulani, but an acronym for Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) initiated in 1956 during the colonial era and is not intended to islamize, fulanized or colonize anybody”

He disclosed that the fund is in the Volume 1 of the 2019 federal budget, submitted by the ministry of agricultural and rural development under the item number ERGP 5208 where the sum of N2.258bn was provided and budgeted for the grazing programme.

He also cited other provisions in the budget such as the sum of N300 million for water sanitation, N400 million development for sweet potatoes, 350 million for ginger development amongst several other budgeted.

He said that the ruga policy is just one component of the budget under the ministry of agriculture.

He stressed that the objective of the budget for ruga is to promote cattle breeding and meet production.

He explained that the ruga programme is an integrated farm system which has schools, good road, tractors and mechanisatiom, agricultural integration.
with a provision for primary healthcare, veterinary, schools.

According to him, there are other sums provided for the emergency Ruga implementation programme approved in May by the National Economic Council for states that will make land available.

Enang who stated that he hash been hosting students of Law School from Akwa Ibom State since 1999, said this year program was specifically to enlighten them on the objective of Ruga programme against the misconceptions making the rounds .

”One of the rumours was that President Buhari was going to acquire land people’s feed cow, ” , adding that “if lawyers understand Ruga, the world will understand”,

According to him the Ruga programme started in Nigeria since 1956, adding that it is not only for rearing cattle but farming and rearing of other animals.

”Ruga is not a plan to seize land from people neither and it’s not meant to fulanize or colonize anybody.

”The Programme is meant to address the issue of cattle roaming and destruction of farmland which would put an end to the herders/farmers crisis, ”

”The idea of Ruga graduated in 1978 into the Land Use Act which states that a portion of land has to be reserved for grazing to avoid the destruction of farm produce by cattle.
”Over time cattle roamed and destroyed farms hence the introduction of the policy to address the issue, ”

He noted that in places like the north, earth dams were constructed to cater for cattle.
He expressed shocks over the inability of some states governors to understand the policy, adding that the first Ruga programmes is Obudu Cattle Ranch and the Yankari Games Reserve.

He said that every year there has been allocation for the continuous funding of grazing areas.
Government, he said is not in any way trying to takeover anybody’s land for ruga adding that land under the land use act is on the hands of state government.

He faulted the claims by some people that it was meant to create Fulani colonies, adding that it was not meant for states in the South East, South West and the South South, but 10 states, mainly North Central, and few states in North West and North East.

Ndifrake Inyang, leader of the Akwa Ibom State Students of the Nigerian Law School, Abuja Campus, in his remarks, recalled the crisis in Taraba and Benue states, over the Ruga issue, adding that “While I was growing up in my own place (Cross River State) we had a similar issue and this has been on for many years.

“We came here today to pay a courtesy call on Senator Ita Enang in keeping with his 20 years tradition of hosting law students being that he is a lawyer we came to learn from his wealth of experience.

Another law student Anastasia Ligiounim Ugbaka, an indigene of Obudu, Cross River State, said Nigerians had the notion that the federal government want to take land from the people and islamize the country the RUGA programme.

She also advised the federal government to implement the RUGA policy “with caution so as not to ignite crisis because some people still hold divergence view on the issue.”