By Steve Oni, Ilorin
The Executive and Elders of the Kwara South Consultative Forum have kicked against the establishment of cattle colonies which is being suggested or planned by the federal government.
Rising from its emergency meeting in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, over the weekend, the Forum, while expressing its total opposition to the idea, opined that establishment of cattle colonies is a subtle way by the federal government of acquiring land across the country “for these set of people killing innocent people across the country,” adding that “such plan was meant to favour a set of people at the expense of original land owners.”
Addressing select journalists on the vexed issue after the Forum’s meeting, its Secretary General, Engr. Otunba Adebayo Daramola, queried: “Who knows what happens to the colonies in the next 50 years from now? And won’t the Fulani claim the land and even the state in which the colonies are located? ”
The Secretary General said the resolution at the emergency meeting was that no inch of Yoruba land in Kwara South Senatorial District and indeed Kwara state would be available for any such colonies.
He said: “This national calamity can only be solved through cattle ranching. As it is not the monopoly of any tribe to be involved in cattle rearing through ranching, the forum implored citizens of the 12 Yoruba speaking local governments to venture into cattle ranching business. A model example of such business is at the Shonga Farm as ranching alternative to the ill-advised cattle colonies.
“A recent killing in Kaiama local government is not encouraging. The forum would want the people of the affected area to speak out. ”
Daramola said the forum lamented the barbaric behaviour of the particular people who set ablaze and destroyed the farmland of Vice Admiral S. Afolayan (Rtd), a former Chief of Naval Staff in this country and therefore advised the federal government to “address the issue of restructuring the administration of Nigeria into the old regional system in order to reduce considerably cost of governance as being experienced by the presidential system we are currently operating.”
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