Livestock programme: Edo civil society chides Obaseki for demanding funds from FG by Adeyinka Adedipe

The Edo Civil Society Organisation has chided the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, for demanding funds from the Federal Government for a National Livestock Transformation Programme. The group described the action as a betrayal of Edo people and resolution reached at a town hall meeting by the Southern Forum Governors’ Forum on open grazing. Obaseki had, after attending the town hall meeting on Tuesday, flew to Abuja on Wednesday to demand from the Federal Government fund for Livestock Transformation Programme in the state. But EDOCSO, in a press conference held in Benin on Thursday said if the agreement reached at the town hall meeting by the Southern Governors’ Forum was in variation with Obaseki’s demand from Buhari, then it is a betrayal of trust, adding that such would not be tolerated in the state. The chairman of the The Extended Council of EDOCSO, Osadolor Ochei, called on Obaseki to obey the decision and resolution he and other South-South governors reached at the town hall meeting. While noting that traditional rulers and the church in the state have all made it clear to the Governor that the state has no land for open grazing, Osadolor called on the Governor to, as a matter of urgency, transmit a bill on anti-open-grazing to the state House of Assembly so as to pass it in to law so that “we all can have peace”. “Edo people will not be a party to ceding their lands to the Federal Government plan in whatever disguise. There is no going back on the ban on open grazing in Edo state which is the yearnings of Edo people. Owners of cattle should build their ranches to carry out their legitimate business. “We are giving him till the second week of November to transmit the said bill to the Edo State House of Assembly so it can become law,” he demanded. He added, “Cattle owners that allow their cattle to graze on a farmer’s land or destroy any property should be made to serve a jail term not less than six months and pay compensation to the farmer whose farm is destroyed. He should also stand the chance of forfeiting the cattle to the state government. “The provision of colonies to cattle owners should be discouraged. Every cattle owner should purchase/lease land for the purpose of ranching and/or any other farming operations. All cattle owners must ranch their cattle. It is not the business of the government to provide land for cattle owners.” The civil society organisation therefore called on Obaseki to stop further discussion on the National Livestock Transformation Programme with the Federal Government irrespective of the monetary benefits. While calling on the state government to invest in the agric sector, the civil society organisation stressed that this would address food scarcity and other issues in the state.