By Polycarp Ifeanyi, Onitsha

The Chairman of Industrial cluster, Awada Obosi in Idemili North LGA, Anambra state, Chief Johnson Okolo has bluntly opposed plan by Government of Nigeria to establish Ruga or Ranch in South East part of Nigeria.

Okolo who hails from Amofia Agu  Afa in Udi LGA,  Enugu State  in a chat with newsmen in Onitsha slammed any level of government planning to establish Ruga or Ranch in South East especially in Enugu State, saying that such plan can not work.
 
He said that he is a victim of Fulani herders, contending that whatever nomenclature they use, Ruga is similar thing with Ranch and there must be a course upon anybody who will encourage Fulanise to settle in Enugu State.

" Fulanise used their catle to destroy 6000 palm trees, 300 Orange and 300 cashew trees which I planted in my farm at Amofia Afa in Udi LGA. In terms of what they called Ranch. I have said it time without number, what is the interest of Government in the business of valley. It is not Enugu State people or Southeast people that owns Ranch, if not Ruga ?. And I have said it in  Enugu State forum"

" I told them that when we do business in the North, do they buy shops for us ?. Why will they buy land where they will do catle rearing? If not Ruga. I said it before, Any money they see from government, they see it as their right. So, the Enugu State government or whatever government is buying them land, the Fulanise and Northerners will see it as their money and their land . So, they are trying to solve problems with troubles"

" By the time they were given land , they would not even look for government.They will take it as their land. Today, they don't have land they call their own in the South East. So, don't provide land for them. I am totally against it. Lets face insecurity and remove their guns"

He continued saying that " If the state government are afraid to challenge Fulanise who carry arms in the South East, setting up nation wide insecurity which means they are government on their own and the Government is afraid to speak on that. What they are trying to do is to solve a problems  on setting up Ruga on somebody's land . Who owns the land they are doing Ranching?"

" You want to take up somebody's land in the name of government and set another tribe there. Can't we rear cow ?. We can manage cows by ourselves. Enugu State or whatever government, go and buy cows for their  indigenes and set a Ranching for them. Don't give another person's land to another person. If they set this Ruga which they are planning,  their family must suffer it . Why not go and establish it in their own village first" Said Okolo

The Community leader equally lamented, saying that if they succeed in giving Falani land, they will use it as a bomb station and opportunity they will be killing people.

" Let these people who are planning this Ruga to ask Southern Kaduna, Benue and Jos what they are passing through in the hands of Fulanise. They want us to be Internally Displaced persons ( IDP) in our own land like Southern Kaduna, Benue, Jos amongst other"

"Enugu state government is trying to settle problems with troubles"

Chief Johnson Okolo has said it all

I thought the Ruga project died with the exit of Buhari.

That useless Enugu governor should not start what he cannot finish. ESN should take over. Hope tried it in Imo and failed woefully

Let them set up the Ruga, ESN na bia

ESN brutality loading

The people should rise up against any plan by the govt to grab their land and give it to those fulani terrorists...

Govt has no business being in business...

If any Fulani man needs land in any part of the country, he should seek to buy such from the indigenous owners, just the way other tribe do...

Again, Enugu people should find a way to arm themselves against any threats from these terrorists and their govt enablers.

This is longer a time to cry or lament...

It is a time for decisive actions...

I just dey laugh sha. Anyway it is a failed project cos no Fulani will even agree to live there even if given to them for free.

That might be a condition given to Mbah for him to win his court battle

Lastmessenger2:
That useless Enugu governor should not start what he cannot finish. ESN should take over. Hope tried it in Imo and failed woefully

nothing like ESN again what we have now is Biafra Liberation Army