CAN President says the association has come up with recommendations on RUGA program for herdsmen.


The President, Christian Association of Nigeria, Dr Supo Ayokunle, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and members of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to completely scrap the suspended RUGA scheme for herdsmen, Punch reports.

The Christian bodies disclosed this on Saturday, August 31, 2019, at the Church leaders stakeholders’ summit, themed, ‘RUGA: The church’s response in the 21st century.’


While speaking at the summit, which held at the ShepherdHill Baptist Church, in Lagos, CAN President, Ayokunle said CAN’s involvement in the RUGA debate was needed, saying the association could not fold its arms when the church was “hurting very badly at the hands of Fulani herdsmen.”

According to Punch, Ayokunle said the association took painstaking approach to set up a committee to dig deep into the issue of Ruga before coming up with recommendations.


He said, “Anything that smacks of mutual suspicion should be avoided in the interest of national unity. The Federal Government should immediately disarm and prosecute the Fulani herdsmen terrorists that have been recorded as one of the deadliest terrorists groups in the world.


“The group of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association which openly supported the activities of the murderous Fulani herdsmen be identified and banned immediately.

“President Buhari should suspend his membership and patronage of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association until he leaves office to reduce tension.”

Addressing journalists after the meeting, Ayokunle said insecurity in Nigeria has become an embarrassment.

“Enough is enough about insecurity in the country. It is totally embarrassing and people are having sleepless nights over it. There is no free movement anymore. Even military officers can no longer travel without heavy military escort; it is as bad as that. It is happening on a daily basis, it is no longer propaganda, neither is it political opposition talks.

“Our relatives are constantly being kidnapped and we are being compelled to look for money to pay ransoms. There are no other persons we can call upon than the government because that is why they are there. They should be able to mop up the guns which these criminals are using to threaten others and also arrest them, ” he said.

Ayokunle also said RUGA is bound to become a landmine for future crisis that will be to the advantage of the settlers, adding that the scheme is a contradiction to the modern-day livestock production system.

He said, “Large expanse of land will be delineated and taken from indigenous people in all the 774 local government areas for use by Fulani herdsmen. The Federal Government will deep its hand into the commonwealth of the nation to develop this programme for the interest of just one out of the 250 ethnic nationalities in Nigeria contrary to the provisions of the constitution.


“As perceived, these settlements will over time metamorphose into politico-religious entities within host communities, thereby reconfiguring the political, religious and cultural status of the environment. This is capable of becoming a landmine for future crisis that will be to the advantage of the settlers. The situations in Plateau and Southern Kaduna are very instructive.


“The Ruga programme is a contradiction to the modern-day livestock production system that centres on ranching and feedlots.”

On his part, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Church of God, Enoch Adeboye urged the stakeholders to stop eating cows, saying “if we stop eating cow meat for a while, the man who sells it will come and renegotiate the terms.”

Pastor E.A. Adeboye says when people stop eating cows, herdsmen would renegotiate the terms.

He said, “Someone cannot be killing your brother and you are eating his cow meat. My friend said if you begin to allow them to rear cow at your backyard, very soon, they will send you out of your house. My friend also said that even the scientists have said that red meat is not good for our health and we are buying cow meat, why can’t we eat fish which has been confirmed to be the best for us”.


However, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, when contacted for comment on the call for the scrapping of RUGA by CAN, Garba said the question should be directed to the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.


https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/can-president-adeboye-others-ask-buhari-to-completely-scrap-ruga/hcs6exg


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