The apex Igbo socio-cultural youth organisation, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), has rejected the newly announced Ministry of Livestock by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Calling it a tool of Fulani domination and land-grabbing, the council called for other ethnic groups, especially the Middle Belt to resist the move.
Addressing journalists in Enugu on Monday, the National President General of OYC, Igboayaka Igboayaka, asked Tinubu to drop the idea of creating a Ministry of Livestock, saying it would spark a tribal war between the Fulanis and other tribes in the country.
He said: “I urge other ethnic groups, the middle Belt who are majorly the target of Fulani herders ethnic cleansing and land grabbing to rise up and resist the implementation of the so-called livestock Reform.”
According to Igboayaka, former President Muhammadu Buhari tried to force RUGA down the throat of Nigerians but was vehemently resisted by Nigerians.
Igboayaka said: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should hasten up to cancel the proposed ministry of livestock as initiated by ethnic land grabbers of Fulani political oligarchy through Miyetti Allah.
“Unfortunately, President Tinubu was misled on Tuesday July 9, 2024 into inaugurating the Presidential Committee on Implementation of Livestock Reforms which was tactically keyed in as a means to address obstacles to agricultural productivity and open up new opportunities which benefit farmers, herders, processors and distributors in the livestock-farming value chain, but in actual sense it is reintroduction of RUGA from back door.
“It’s historic that the Yorubas have suffered untold ethnic farmers crisis and killings by Fulani herders, therefore President Bola Ahmed Tinubu creation of livestock ministry is an attempt to arm Fulani herders and institutionalised a monster that will pose a threat to consume Yoruba farmers.
“It’s pathetic, President Tinubu is not aware that those behind the proposed ministry of livestock are the same cabals that have constantly pushed for establishment of RUGA in Nigeria for the past 12 years from former President Goodluck Jonathan administration to former president Mohammadu Buhari administration.
“It’s unfortunate and unacceptable to create ministries or agencies according to the interest, needs or demands of one section of the country or a particular tribe instead for national interest.
“Creation of livestock ministry as championed by Miyetti Allah is a Fulani livestock agricultural project as a means to penetrate and grab lands that belong to other tribes for settlement in disguise of agricultural purpose.”
He stressed that the people of the South-East would resist any form of cattle colony in Igbo land that serves the interest of Fulani herders.
According to him, the Ministry would end up being a land-grabbing institutionalisation of Fulani community settlement in Igbo land and it would be “resisted with the last pint of our blood.”
