Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong said Benue and Plateau states have supported and signed for the creation of grazing reserves and are currently receiving written applications from paramount rulers lobbying to donate lands for the programme, as a pre-condition to access a World Bank loan.

Lalong said this at a media parley, Saturday night to mark his one year in office.

He said both him and his Benue counterpart, Samuel Ortom recently applied for the federal government’s endorsement of the two states to benefit from the grazing reserve loan coming from the World Bank, explaining that their decision was guided by recommendations made to the then President Goodluck Jonathan by a committee headed by Ortom’s predecessor, Gabriel Suswam.

Lalong said: “We inherited the recommendation for grazing reserves from the past administration. Part of the document I saw was a recommendation by a committee chaired by a person from the North-Central zone, the former governor of Benue State (Suswam). To curb the incessant crises between herdsmen and farmers, the committee recommended ranches or grazing reserves.”

He added that “when they brought the idea for the president, it was accepted. The idea came with the funding from the World Bank and the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria).”

Suswam, had on October 23, 2014, addressed State House reporters on the completion of his assignment, saying the committee recommended that considering the present realities, all grazing reserves/cattle routes already gazetted and encroached upon should be recovered and improved upon.

A recent report quoted the Miyetti Allah, to have said 115 grazing reserves gazetted across the country have been taken over by development.

Lalong explained that he has already invited the minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, to visit and explained to Plateau people that the concept does not suggest that federal government will grab lands and allocate to cattle herders, but will encourage indigenous people into rearing cattle too.

“The concept is not only for Fulani, it is part of the empowerment for agriculture. Even if you don’t want the idea (of grazing reserves) now, don’t throw away the bad water with the child. Sieve it and see; if at the end of the day it is not useful, we will throw it away. The other aspect is that we are bringing it because we are forcing people, or we are taking over land from people. No that is not the concept; the concept is that no state governor will force anybody to it.”

He added that grazing reserves will reduce crisis as cattle herders will not have to be moving about.
Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/agriculture/why-suswam-ortom-and-i-supported-grazing-reserves-creation–lalong/148833.html#2jXpkG1YYHaJ8V6k.99

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Why Suswam, Ortom and I supported grazing reserves creation – Lalong