URHOBO NATION REJECTS PROPOSE RUGA SCHEME
URHOBO NATION REJECTS PROPOSE RUGA SCHEME
OGHENETEJIRI NYERHOVWO
Urhobo Progress Union(UPU), apex socio-cultural organisation of Urhobo nation has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed Ruga settlement for fulani herdsmen across the country just as it said that the arrangement would not solve the recurring clashes between farmers and cattle rearers.
Urhobo nation’s rejection of the proposed RUGA Settlement is contained in a statement signed by Hon. Abel Oshevire, National Publicity Secretary of the UPU made available to the Urhobo Voice, Urhobo nation disclosed that the scheme was another subtle plot by the Federal Government to forcefully grab land from local communities across the country for herdsmen which President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier claimed were not Nigerians.
The UPU called the President Buhari-led government to immediately jettison the proposed plan as it is capable of fueling renewed clashes not only between herders and farmers but communities whose land were collected for such purpose.
According to the statement, “the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), worldwide wishes to reject in its totality, the Federal Government’s proposed Ruga settlement for herdsmen, which is a subtle attempt by the government to forcefully cede lands across the country to the Fulani people.”
Urhobo nation warned that the Fulani ethnic nationality should not be given preferential treatment in a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria to the detriment of other ethnic nationalities so as to avoid the looming chaos in the country.
The Urhobo nation added, “by insisting on going ahead with the unpopular and repugnant policy, whether optional for states as claimed by the Presidency, the Federal Government has openly demonstrated its insensitivity to the feelings and yearnings of other Nigerians”
Urhobo nation said that it is improper for government to impose policies on the people no matter how laudable it may be, adding, “it is most unreasonable, uncharitable, callous and unfair to impose a policy, no matter how good such a policy might be on the majority, just to satisfy the whims and caprices of a tiny minority. It is indefensible that this government is bent on implementing a policy that has been stoutly rejected by virtually every ethnic nationality in the country. Are we a conquered people? Are we not in a free country and practicing democracy, where the will of the people should prevail?”
The statement further stressed that the Urhobo ethnic nationality should be counted out of the plan as her people have no land for Ruga Settlement, they spoke further, “let it be categorically stated that the Urhobo Nation will never cede an inch of her territory to any stranger under any guise. As the fourth largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria, nobody can intimidate or compel us to give up our God-given land to any stranger against our will.”
The UPU added, “the Federal Government has not commandeered land in any part of Katsina State to give to Urhobo farmers living there or any part of Nigeria. We are all equal stakeholders in the Nigerian project. Nobody is a second-class citizen in Nigeria, certainly, not the Urhobos.”
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