Pro-south socio-cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo has advised the Federal Government to use the famed Sambisa forest, for the now suspended controversial Ruga settlement programme.
The group in a statement issued on Friday through its national publicity secretary, Uche Opaga- Achi noted that Sambisa forest will be ideal because the land mass in the north, is by far much more larger than the one in the east or in south.
Ohaneze also kicked against the push by Northern leaders under the umbrella of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), to immediately implement the setting up of Fulani herdsmen settlements popularly known as Ruga.
According to the national publicity secretary of Ohaneze, the positions of both ACF and the youth coalition, show the level of impunity they demonstrate or operate.
“Nigeria is already on fire, and what was remaining is disintegration, which the action of these people is leading to. They are mongering for war; the country is on fire, there is distress everywhere. It is turning to criminality and absurdity that people will stay in the comfort of their homes and dictate what happens in another zone.
“What is the concept of rule of law and human rights; what is the concept of self determination; what is the concept of government protecting lives and property of people under its watch? They have the backing of the federal government and that is the more reason they can just wake up in the morning and begin to say things that are capable of disintegrating the country and nobody cares and they get out of it and lie freely on their beds, while the statement they have made is enforcing, heating the embers of disunity in the country.
“Our argument is this, the land in the north is by far much more larger than the one in the east or in south. Why is it that it is in the east and south that they are making emphasis of enforcing Ruga? Our argument is that you have the Sambisa forest that can contain all the cows in Africa and the insurgents are coming in through that axis. Let them go and develop the forest and bring all the cows in Africa and put there. They will be free from all forms of destruction, distraction or problems here and there; there will be no farmers there to clash with.
“In the alternative, the Sahara desert is wasting; you have oil in the south and you piped it to the north and you use it the way you want. So, the same way, you can also pipe water to the Sahara desert, as Governor Nyesom Wike suggested that they can pipe water to the desert, and Governor Dave Umahi also said that they can buy the grasses from the south. So, you can use the money you have and pipe water to develop the Sahara desert, water it and grass it.
“The cows will have a field day; the herders will have nobody to clash with. How come that you want to stifle the people with the little land they have here. You see brothers and sisters fighting over land because the land is too small; there are so many land cases in the court, which tells you that land is not even here, and you want to bring in Fulani from all parts of Africa to come and flood here in order to continue with you Islamisation and Fulanisation agenda. Is there anything hidden about this thing; it is an open secret.
“The support of the coalition group on herdsmen being part of security in states, is as laughable and as it is provocative and even insulting. How can southerners go to north and constitute vigilante? What is the job of the police, what is the job of the local vigilante there, are you saying that they are incompetent? They are doing their jobs. See how Boko Haram is killing our soldiers because the government provides money for arms and ammunition, but the people at the helm of affairs allegedly pocket the money.
“People are calling that Ruga should be implemented when the federal government has made a statement suspending it. Is that not a counter action, which is an offence and more so, criminal when you are making statements or comments capable of tearing the country into pieces, and yet, nobody is going for them; herdsmen are killing and raping people, and nobody is arresting them.
“They have a field day. It is the IPOB whose members were not armed was declared a terrorist group, but the terrorists that are busy killing people, damaging farms are walking freely without challenge. So, why will the northern youth not make inflammatory statement when they knew that nobody would question them and they have the backing of their elders.”
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