Not RUGA: Government Set To Begin Ranching Policy In Plateau LGAs

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The Plateau State Government on Wednesday said arrangement has been concluded for the commencement of cattle ranching policy in some parts of the state.

This was disclosed by the Director-General, Plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA), Joseph Lengman, during a roundtable discussion tagged: “National Livestock Transformation Plan: Insight and Prospects” held in Jos, the Plateau state capital.

According to him, the meeting is part of the agency’s project tagged: “Consolidating the Mechanism for Sustainable Cooperation and Transformation of Farmer/Herder Conflict in Plateau”, funded by the embassy of the United States of America.

Lengman further explained that the ranching policy is an offshoot of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) of the Federal Government, to be implemented in Plateau based on the peculiarities of the state.

The further stated that the pilot scheme would be sited on government’s lands at Wase and Kanam Local Government Areas of the State.

“Plateau government has keyed into the National Livestock Transformation Plan. We have adopted the plan based on our peculiarities and context.

“So, very soon we are going to commence the implementation of the ranching policy as a pilot scheme at Wase and Kanam Local Governments.

“We are not going to take anybody’s land for the pilot scheme; we are going to use the land government had reserved for such purpose in the two localities.

“This is not RUGA, but ranching and we believe by the time we kick-start and we see it working, other local governments will key in,” he said.

Disclosing the huge advantages associated with the policy, Prof. John Wade, Director of Research and Strategic Communication, Government House said the policy if implemented, would address the lingering farmer/herder clashes in the state.

Wade, who is a member of the NLTP implementation committee in the state, explained further that the ranching policy would attract huge economic, agricultural and social benefits to the state.

He added that the policy would also address infrastructural deficit at the rural level, promote peaceful coexistence in the state as well as curb insecurity.

Also speaking, Focal Person, Social Investment Programme in the state and member of the NLTP committee, Dr Sumaiya Hamza said 80 enumerators for the ranching programme were already trained for the pilot scheme in the two aforementioned localities.