Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State yesterday debunked rumors making arounds in the state that his administration has started carving out creation of cattle colonies in Riyom, BarkinLadi and Bokkos Local Government Areas of the state.
Lalong in a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Daniel Manjang and made available to journalists in Jos said the governor does not contemplate such action and he further calls on all good citizens of the state to bury such imagination of elements bent on throwing the state into confusion.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong has been drawn to the news making the rounds, particularly in the Social Media that “parts of Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Bokkos Local Government Areas have been carved out for the creation of colonies for cattle, in fulfilment of his promises to the Fulani who have pressured him, to either cede those areas or he faces the other side of their viciousness which may cost his aspirations.
“The governor herein after state unequivocally that this thinking is not only the figment of the imagination of its authors, who want to make political capital out of it, but false, malicious and highly mischievous.
“Governor Lalong has and does not contemplate such action and he further calls on all good citizens of Plateau to bury such imagination of these elements bent on throwing the state into confusion. Cattle colonies are not in the imagination of Governor Lalong.”
Consequently, the Governor urged all peace loving citizens of Plateau State to discountenance such mischievous information but to gravitate towards issues that unite us rather than those that divide us.
It would be recalled that the Plateau State chapter of the People Democratic Party (PDP) had advised Lalong to openly distance himself and the people of the state from the proposed ‘Cattle Colonies’ of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh.
Recently, the Fellowship of over 30 million members across 15 denominational Churches of Christ in Nigeria also known as Ekklisiyoyin Kristi a Nijeriya (TEKAN) at the end of their 2018 General Assembly strongly objected the fresh attempt by the Federal Government to reintroduce the grazing routes policy Nigerians had rejected through the back door by calling for the creation of Cattle Colonies.
TEKAN which has a strong based in the Middle Belt Region of the Country cutting across Nineteenth Northern States in a Communique signed the President Rev. Dr Caleb Solomon Ahima and General Secretary Rev. Moses Jatau Ebuga after its General Assembly rejected the decision of the Federal Government.
“The General Assembly of TEKAN rejects any attempt by the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to annex any land in the Middle Belt and other parts of Nigeria for his kinsmen for their private businesses in the name of Cattle Colony.”
The church called on the members of the National Assembly to step up efforts to stand for the course of Nigerians by regularly consulting and ensuring that they live up to the expectations of their constituencies.
“The Assembly strongly objects the fresh attempt to reintroduce the Grazing routes policy Nigerians had rejected through the back door by calling for the creation of a so called “Cattle Colonies”.
Besides the offensive name which suggests surreptitious plans to colonise parts of Nigeria they could not conquer during Othman Dan Fodio Jihad, the thought of collecting by whatever name and means our ancestral land for cattle rearing business is the worst form of humiliation to the Christians and other communities,” the church stated.
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