Akeredolu: we have ranches to cater for iver 5,000 cows, no need for Ruga Settlements

The Governor of Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has kicked against the proposed Ruga settlements for herdsmen across the country.

Akeredolu said the Ruga settlements, initiated by the federal government cannot be in the interests of Ondo state as the lands in the state had been earmarked for forest reserves and agriculture.

The governor noted that Ondo state would only be interested in ranches, which could even create employment opportunities for the teeming youths in the state.

He spoke while responding to a tweet on his official Twitter handle @RotimiAkeredolu on Tuesday, stressing that Ondo state already has two expansive lands used for ranching in Akunnu and Auga Akoko.

“Our stance on the Ruga settlements debate is clear. Ondo is only interested in ranches. We have 2 large ranches existing in Akunnu and Auga.

“Auga can accommodate 5,000 cows. A key difference here is that we have no preference for who manages the cattle. The ranch owners decide.

”Primary reason for #RugaSettlements although understandable does not truly factor the interests of every State. We have a youth unemployment crisis our ranches can address. Ondo State must prioritize agriculture due to the arable nature of our land.

”A lot of our land is already earmarked for forest reserves. The FG must understand why we need to be strategic in our decision making.

“We implore the FG to revisit the proposal based on feedback from the different States & act accordingly,” Akeredolu said on his official Twitter handle.

The federal government has been receiving knocks from critics over the planned Ruga initiative.

Yoruba youths had on Monday also rejected plan and vowed to protest against any governors in the southwest that would buy into the initiative.