Christian Association of Nigeria rejects calls to establish grazing reserves.

Christian Association of Nigeria rejects calls to establish grazing reserves.

Posted by Sylvester on Friday, March 28, 2014 0

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CHRISTIAN Association of Nigeria (Can) officials have rejected proposals proposal to establish grazing reserves across the country as a means of resolving continued disputes between Fulani herdsmen and local farmers.


In recent years, nomadic Fulani cattle rearers and farmers have been involved in repeated bloody clashes as disputes over access to land and the destruction of crops have led to bitter gun battles. Increasingly, Nigerian cattle herders are becoming more sophisticated with the type of weaponry they carry, as many of them now own AK47s.

Under pressure to resolve these continuous disputes, the federal government set up a committee to work out the modalities for establishing grazing reserves across the country. This committee them put its proposals, requesting the establishment of special grazing reserves across the country to the National Economic Council presided over by vice president Namadi Sambo.

In a swift response, however, Can president Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor said such proposals were absolutely unacceptable to Nigeria's Christian community. He added that it was tantamount to another grand plan to Islamise the nation.

According to Pastor Oritsejafor, Fulani herdsmen are just another chapter of Boko Haram and he warned that if President Goodluck Jonathan accepts the proposal, he should be ready for the consequences. Pastor Oritsejafor, threatened that Christians in the country will not fold their arms while the federal government unilaterally hands over their farmlands to Fulani herdsmen for grazing reserves, which will in a few years be converted to Hausa-Fulani emirates with emirs across the nation.

“Is there any other tribe in this country that can do these things for three years running now and get away with it? This culture of impunity must stop.

"The best way to tackle clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers head on is for the federal government to first and foremost investigate the source of arms supply to the herdsmen before the clashes grow out of control. Then we must establish grazing reserves for them in their own locale where the government can establish modern facilities, including schools, hospitals and such facilities that will make life conducive for them and their families bearing in mind that in other nations of the world, cows are not on paraded on highways as we have here,” Pastor Oritsejafor added.

According to the Can president, it is regrettable that certain leaders of the same tribe could hold a press conference where they accused the Benue State government of masterminding the mayhem that has left hundreds of people dead in that state. He lamented the fact that following the recent clash in the state that left about 50 people dead, no arrests have been carried out.

Pastor Oritsejafor added: “Except somebody is being economical with the truth, there is nowhere in the civilized world where cattle rearers walk long distances with cows on the streets. All across Europe and America, cow owners have permanent settlements, where they graze and slaughter their cows while refrigerated vehicles take the meat to different parts of the country for distribution.”

He urged President Jonathan to find out why nobody had been prosecuted despite the huge number of casualties recorded in clashes in Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Delta, Edo and Ondo States. According to Pastor Oritsejafor, the problem will not be solved by ordering the takeover of people's land across the country so the cattle herders can perpetrate more havoc.

CHRISTIAN Association of Nigeria (Can) officials have rejected proposals proposal to establish grazing reserves across the country as a means of resolving continued disputes between Fulani herdsmen and local farmers.

In recent years, nomadic Fulani cattle rearers and farmers have been involved in repeated bloody clashes as disputes over access to land and the destruction of crops have led to bitter gun battles. Increasingly, Nigerian cattle herders are becoming more sophisticated with the type of weaponry they carry, as many of them now own AK47s.

Under pressure to resolve these continuous disputes, the federal government set up a committee to work out the modalities for establishing grazing reserves across the country. This committee them put its proposals, requesting the establishment of special grazing reserves across the country to the National Economic Council presided over by vice president Namadi Sambo.

In a swift response, however, Can president Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor said such proposals were absolutely unacceptable to Nigeria's Christian community. He added that it was tantamount to another grand plan to Islamise the nation.

According to Pastor Oritsejafor, Fulani herdsmen are just another chapter of Boko Haram and he warned that if President Goodluck Jonathan accepts the proposal, he should be ready for the consequences. Pastor Oritsejafor, threatened that Christians in the country will not fold their arms while the federal government unilaterally hands over their farmlands to Fulani herdsmen for grazing reserves, which will in a few years be converted to Hausa-Fulani emirates with emirs across the nation.

“Is there any other tribe in this country that can do these things for three years running now and get away with it? This culture of impunity must stop.

"The best way to tackle clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers head on is for the federal government to first and foremost investigate the source of arms supply to the herdsmen before the clashes grow out of control. Then we must establish grazing reserves for them in their own locale where the government can establish modern facilities, including schools, hospitals and such facilities that will make life conducive for them and their families bearing in mind that in other nations of the world, cows are not on paraded on highways as we have here,” Pastor Oritsejafor added.

According to the Can president, it is regrettable that certain leaders of the same tribe could hold a press conference where they accused the Benue State government of masterminding the mayhem that has left hundreds of people dead in that state. He lamented the fact that following the recent clash in the state that left about 50 people dead, no arrests have been carried out.

Pastor Oritsejafor added: “Except somebody is being economical with the truth, there is nowhere in the civilized world where cattle rearers walk long distances with cows on the streets. All across Europe and America, cow owners have permanent settlements, where they graze and slaughter their cows while refrigerated vehicles take the meat to different parts of the country for distribution.”

He urged President Jonathan to find out why nobody had been prosecuted despite the huge number of casualties recorded in clashes in Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Delta, Edo and Ondo States. According to Pastor Oritsejafor, the problem will not be solved by ordering the takeover of people's land across the country so the cattle herders can perpetrate more havoc.
- See more at: http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/4151-christian-association-of-nigeria-rejects-calls-to-establish-grazing-reserves#sthash.VY4UV5K4.dpuf