By Priscillia Eke
Ebonyi State Commissioner of Information and State Orientation, Bar. Uchenna Orji on Today debunked the rumors that the state government has established RUGA settlement in the state.
It was gathered that on Saturday night over 500 herders invaded the Hausa community in Abakaliki local government area of Ebonyi state.
The herders were made up of men, women, children, and youths inclusive which put fear in the residents of the community.
While addressing journalist, Bar. Orji emphatically said that the Ebonyi government never approved RUGA, noting that herders who hitherto settled at centenary city relocated at their own will on seeing that state government was developing the area for its use.
In his words: “The attention of Ebonyi State Government has been drawn to online circulations by a group of frustrated elements whose objective is to paint the Government black by selling a dummy to unsuspecting members of the public.
” Their posts on Saturday gave false impressions that herders in their numbers arrived with their families to a particular village in Izzi LGA of Ebonyi State to settle and that Ebonyi State Government has established a RUGA settlement for herdsmen. Our reaction has become necessary in view of the sensitivity of the matter to the collective peace and coexistence of our people.
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“The State Government states in clear terms that the narratives of these online propagandists are nothing but the figment of the imagination of the mischief-makers. Their online circulations are totally unfounded, absolutely irresponsible, without foundation and criminally woven to paint Ebonyi State government black before its citizenry.
“Contrary to the spiritless fabrication of these political jobbers, what happened on Saturday was the normal movement of cattle rearers who were in transit from their temporary camp at the Centenary City Abakaliki to a neighbouring state, where they have found more conducive for their Cattle’s livelihood.
“These herdsmen once camped in a government reserved area at the Centenary City, Abakaliki but when the government started to develop the place for government use as agreed, the herdsmen on their volition decided to look for greener pasture elsewhere in a neighboring state. This movement is well known to the Myetti Allah Association and it has nothing to do with RUGA settlement and there was never a misunderstanding leading to this voluntary decision of the herdsmen.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no specific area in any part of Ebonyi state where the State Government designated to herdsmen for cattle grazing. We have neither built a settlement where herders will live nor a settlement where they will grow their cattle or produce milk. We have no RUGA Settlement in Ebonyi State at all, and we don’t intend to have any RUGA settlement in the future.
“We have continued to build on the peace and co-existence that long existed between the farmers and the traditional cattle rearers and we have remained resolute in our enforcement of the farmers/ herders rules for the peaceful grazing of cattle in Ebonyi State”.
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