Benue politician rejects FG's proposed ranches for herders, citing private business burden

Bemgba Iortyom, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Benue State House of Assembly in 2027, has urged the Federal Government to reconsider its plan to establish ranches for herders in Benue State. Iortyom argues that the government should not fund private businesses and instead should encourage livestock owners to acquire land legally for their own ranching operations.

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As livestock farming is a legitimate private business, those who engage in it must shoulder the burden of acquiring land lawfully and ranch their animals, just as crop farmers and other private entrepreneurs bear the burden of acquiring land and the facilities required for their businesses.

Reacting to the Federal Government's proposal to pilot ranching in five states, including Benue, as a solution to farmer-herder conflicts, Iortyom stated, "As livestock farming is a legitimate private business, those who engage in it must shoulder the burden of acquiring land lawfully and ranch their animals, just as crop farmers and other private entrepreneurs bear the burden of acquiring land and the facilities required for their businesses."

Iortyom raised critical questions about the proposed policy's focus. He questioned why the solution exclusively targets herders and livestock if the core issue is farmer-herder conflict. He also emphasized the need for compensation for farmers who have suffered decades of destruction, loss of life, and property due to herdsmen's actions. "Where at the negotiating table are the representatives of farmers’ communities that have suffered attacks, destruction and displacement?" he asked, also inquiring about the inclusion of traditional institutions and landowners whose ancestral lands might be affected.

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Shouldn’t compensation for the decades of destruction of lives and property of farmers by the herdsmen be a top item on the agenda of the proposed government policy?

The House of Assembly hopeful recalled that the previous administration under Muhammadu Buhari proposed similar policies, such as grazing routes, cattle colonies, RUGA settlements, and the National Livestock Transformation Plan, all of which were rejected by Benue people. Iortyom stressed that Benue residents rejected these policies because they shifted the burden of resolving the crisis onto the victims. He reiterated that if the government aims to modernize livestock production, it should support private owners in lawfully acquiring land for ranches, rather than attempting to annex ancestral lands for government-established herder settlements.

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Where at the negotiating table are the representatives of farmers’ communities that have suffered attacks, destruction and displacement?