The Benue State House of Assembly has rejected plans by the federal government to establish Ruga settlements (Fulani herders’ abode) in parts of the state. The Speaker of the Assembly, Titus Uba, said at a news conference in Makurdi yesterday that the House had already directed the 23 council chairmen in the state to pull down any signpost indicating commencement of the settlement in their domains.
“I hereby clearly state that the federal government cannot freely allocate land for the establishment of Ruga-Fulani settlements in Benue State and the state government will not give out Benue land for the Ruga settlement initiative, even as there is inadequate land to meet the farming needs of agrarian communities in the state. “Therefore, the 9th Benue State House of Assembly as a parliament condemns in totality plans by any individual, group of persons or the federal government to allocate any portion of land within Benue State for such a questionable project.
“To this end, I hereby categorically state that the Benue State House of Assembly rejects the move for Fulani-Ruga settlement in Benue State and instead support the full implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law 2017 as ranching remains the global best practice,” Uba said.
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