The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom; his counterparts in the South-East and the Ekiti State Government have faulted a claim by the Presidency that the Federal Government has gazetted land in all the 36 states of the federation.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, had in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, said that the Federal Government would not force the Ruga herdsmen settlement on any state.
He, however, said, “It is true that government at the centre has gazetted land in all the states of the federation.”
But Ortom, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, on Monday, challenged the Federal Government to show any proof of gazetted land in the state.
He said, “We wish to make it clear that no land in Benue State has been gazetted for grazing routes, grazing reserves, cattle colonies and Ruga settlements, contrary to the Presidency’s claim.
“We expect the Federal Government to publicly tender legal documents of the claimed gazetted land in Benue State to put the matter to rest.
“The Federal Government should show titles to the land it claims to have in Benue State, the evidence of compensation it paid to owners of such land, as well as the purpose for which the land was acquired.
“The Benue State Government has already made known its stand on the Ruga settlements matter that the state will not be part of the project.
“This was why the government and people of the state rejected the attempt to impose the Ruga settlement projects on them without the consent and approval of the governor who controls and administers the land in the state in trust for the people.”
Also the South -East Governors’ Forum said that Federal Government had no gazetted land in the zone for Ruga settlements cattle colonies or any nomenclature it was given by the central government.
The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, who spoke with one of our correspondents on Monday, through his media aide, Mr Emma Uzo, said that Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, Abia and Imo states had not given the Federal Government any land for Ruga settlements.
“There is no gazzetted land for Ruga in Ebonyi State or any other state in the South -East zone. There is no gazetted land for any establishment of cattle ranch or colony. There is no part of Ebonyi or Igbo land that is designated for such a purpose by the Federal Government,” the governor said.
