In anticipation of the passage of the executive version of the grazing
reseve and ranching bill being prepared by the executive arm of
government, President Mohammadu Buhari has given the nod to former
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Business mogul, Aliko Dangote, to set up
cattle feed factories across the country.
The bill which has become contentious following the killing of thousands
of innocent Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen across the country is seen in
some quarters as an attempt to fund the private business of the fulanis
with public funds and an encroachment on farmlands.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the former Vice-president has already set
up one of the factories in Yola, Adamawa State capital, his home state.
The factory specifically produces cattle feed that would cater for
expected cattle ranches to be set up in the country at the expected
passage of the grazing bill by the National Assembly.
Recall that the Northern Governors Forum and Northern Senators Forum have
jointly expressed support for the setting up of grazing reserves and
ranches while the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, said last week
government was putting finishing touches to the executive bill on grazing
reserves.
Pointblanknews.com further learned that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is now
poised to set the cattle feed factory in Idu Industrial Estate in Abuja.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the cattle feed factory would be performed
by President Mohammadu Buhari himself in two weeks.
Dr Aliko Dangote, who is also part of the Abuja project is expected to
proceed with it to other parts of Southern Nigeria.
Speaking on the development, a member of a Pan Nigeria group, Nigeria
Rescue Team (NRT), Paulicarp Danlop, said it was obvious that some people
were out to use government funds to drive a “purely private business”.
“We said it before that President Buhari is using the office of president
to further the business interest of the fulanis in the name of grazing and
ranching which should be resisted by right thinking Nigerians”, he said.
It would be recalled that the Senate Committee Chairman on Agriculture and
former Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, said, weekend, his
committee welcomed the importation of grazing pasture for cattle at
designated places across the country.
Governors and lawmakers from the Southern part of Nigeria, have
outrightly declined support for such a bill which is seen as an attempt to
encroach on private land.
The Senate, has, however, denied the existence of such a bill in the red
chambers.