BusinessDay 04 Feb 2018

6 BD SUNDAY
C002D5556 Sunday 04 February 2018
News
Ajimobi, Alaafin reject cattle colony
…Say it is modern slavery
AKINremi Feyisipo, Ibadan
As the proposed
establishment
of cattle colonies
by the
Federal government
continued to generate
controversies, the Governor
of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi
and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba
Lamidi Adeyemi have rejected,
in totality, the proposal.
Sixteen Nigerian states,
all in North have agreed to
the establishment of the cattle
colonies in their domain,
proposed by the Minister
of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Audu Ogbeh
as a solution to the incessant
herdsmen crisis.
The states include: Adamawa,
Kano, Kaduna,
Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi,
Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi,
Gombe, Borno, Jigawa, Yobe,
Niger, Kogi and Kwara states.
They all agreed to volunteer
5,000 hectares of land
each but Benue and Taraba
experiencing herdsmen attacks
rejected the cattle colonies.
Likewise, south western
and South-South states
rejected the proposition.
Veteran journalist, Goddy Ikeh, honoured with Ozo title
A
veteran journalist
and retired
deputy Editor-
In-Chief of the
News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN), Chief Goddy Ikeh,
has been honoured with
the prestigious Ozo title of
Ezennia by the Umugama
kindred of Ezennaja Village
in Oraukwu in Idemili
North Local Government of
Anambra State.
Also honoured in the
three-day ceremony attended
by dignitaries from
Abuja, Anambra and Ebonyi
states, is his cousin, Dr.
Ifeanyi Ikeh (Kpakpando),
However, Governor Ajimobi
of Oyo described the
move as tantamount to modern
slavery.
The governor advocated
true federalism as solution to
the national question, stressing
that the proposal to states
to make land available for
the establishment of cattle
colonies was against the letters
and spirit of true federalism
that vested ownership
and control of land on states.
According to him, the
proposed cattle colony was
disguised slavery similar to
the long-forgotten colonisation
that Africa still rues
till date.
Instead, the governor said
that the state was prepared
for a controlled ranching
that would be established by
the state government, which
would have all the required
modern facilities for good
cattle breeding and ancillary
services.
This, he said, would be
at minimal cost to whoever
wishes to make use of the
facility, but would end the
regime of open grazing.
Ajimobi said: “Cattle colony
is tantamount to modern
slavery, because colony is
a senior citizen, who has
contributed his quota to
the development of the
society and his immediate
professional circle, where
he has spent close to four
decades of his life.
Chief Ikeh, who is a
media relations consultant
and journalism trainer
since he retired from government
services in 2009,
is thrilled and full of praise
to his Oraukwu Community,
which found him
worthy of this conferment.
He is also grateful to his
colleagues in the News
Agency of Nigeria, prothe
SSA on Political Affairs
to Governor Willie Obiano
of Anambra State and
former Commissioner in
Ebonyi State. Other members
of the Ikeh family of
Oraukwu, who were honoured
included two USbased
professionals- Chief
Cyril Ikeh (Okwesilieze)
and Chief Francis Ikeh
(Odinigwe); Chief Ifeanyi
Ikeh (Chinyelueze), Chief
Charles Ikeh (Ononaenyi)
and Chief Chukwudi Ikeh
(Ezenwachinemelu).
The elated veteran journalist
described the honour
as well deserved for
Goddy Ike, right in traditional handshake with a fellow title holder
synonymous with colonisation.
We cannot have that
in Oyo State. It is a pointer
to the fact that federalism
is not working in Nigeria. If
poultry farmers or owners
of piggeries, among others,
are not being offered colonies
for their own livestock,
why should herdsmen be a
survival category?
“Our position is to support
controlled ranching, under
which we will provide land
and other basic modern facilities
for good cattle business
as well as breeding. Those
wishing to rear cattle will
use the facilities at moderate
cost. No more, no less.”
According to Ajimobi,
“You will say that the governor
is the Chief Security Officer
of his state, but he has no
control over the police. That
is another problem we have
with our type of federalism.
Another example is about
those digging for treasures in
our communities but collect
licenses from the Federal
Government.
This is wrong. Nigeria
needs true federalism. We
will keep talking about it
until it materialises.”
The governor said that
L-R: Valentine Ojumah, managing director , FBN Insurance Limited; Cecilia Akintomide,
director, FBN Holdings Plc; Oba Otudeko, CFR, group chairman, FBN Holdings Plc; Oluremi
Moya, director FBN Holdings Plc and Wale Ariyibi, chief financial officer, FBN Holdings Plc at
the burial ceremony of the mother of Cecilia Akintomide, held at Ile Oluji, Ondo … on Friday.
fessional colleagues and
friends, who have taken
time to congratulate him
on this “new feather on his
red cap”.
Speaking on the ceremony,
Chief Ikeh says that the
Ozo title is not only prestigious
in Igboland, “it shows
that your community holds
you in high esteem. For
instance, this is a title reserved
only for indigenes
of the community. It is only
conferred to the worthy
individual after he must
have passed the screening
exercise and showed proof
of having the resources to
fund the strict and enormous
requirements for the
elite group.”
According to him, “Apart
from accepting to observe
the rules of the elite group,
which include being upright
in your dealings with
society, being truthful and
charitable at all times and
promoting exemplary character
and conduct among
others. The recipient of the
title is also reminded that
he could be disrobed if he
fails to uphold the tenets of
the group.
“With the installation,
the recipient is now allowed
to adorn the red cap and
greet and acknowledge
pleasantries in a special and
dignified manner reserved
for Ozo Title holders.
colonies were not established
for cattle or any livestock
in South Africa and other
emerging economies, insisting
that the state would
also not allow such. He empathised
with those he called
notable Nigerians that had
farms in the state, whom he
said had been complaining to
him about herdsmen destroying
their farms, expressing
confidence that solution was
in sight now that the menace
had become pervading.
Ajimobi, who made his
position known on the raging
matter during a visit
by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba
Lamidi Adeyemi, who led
some prominent traditional
rulers to the Government
Akwa Ibom leaders warn against
reintroduction of offshore/onshore dichotomy
ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo
A
group, Akwa Ibom
Leaders Vanguard,
has warned
against moves to
bring back the abrogated
contentious issue of onshore/
offshore, saying it would
throw the country into catastrophe.
The group took the position
following the submission
of the restructuring and
true federalism committee
headed by Nasir el-Rufai, Kaduna
State governor to John
Odigie-Oyekun, national
chairman of the All Progressives
Congress (APC).
Akwa Ibom has been a
major beneficiary of the abrogated
dichotomy as most
of its oil resources are found
offshore and this has earned
the state much revenue from
the derivation principle.
A spokesman for the
group, Anietie Okon warned
that any attempt to reintroduce
onshore/offshore dichotomy
in the sharing of oil
revenue would be disastrous.
“We want to state explicitly
and unambiguously our
concerns and consternation
about the ambivalent and
duplicitous position of the
APC as it is clear to every discerning
mind that the APC is
a party in disarray,’’ he said.
Speaking on behalf of
the leaders, Anietie Okon
House, Ibadan, said that he
was happy that Oyo State
was on the committee recently
put together by the
FG to find solutions to the
incessant farmers-herdsmen
clashes, expressing optimism
that the associated problems
would soon be resolved in
the mutual interest of all
stakeholders.
said the party’s position on
resource control clearly portends
an “irredeemable disaster
for Nigeria”, adding that
the report has once again
uncovered the evil agenda
of the party.
He said the report brings
to the fore the unlimited
confusion which according
to him is the hallmark of the
APC in which the country
has been subjected to in the
past three years.
Wondering why the bigwigs
of the APC in the southsouth
region are “dangerously
quiet over this calculated
attempt to subtly reintroduce
through the back door the
vexed onshore/offshore oil
dichotomy that has long
been settled in Nigeria,’’ he
said Akwa Ibom would never
accept any recourse to
onshore/offshore dichotomy.
Okon maintained that
recent moves to reintroduce
the dichotomy are illegal,
describing it as an expensive
joke taken too far. He added
that the country might not
survive this backdoor attempt
to bring back what
had long been settled. Okon,
a chieftain of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP), also
picked holes in President
Muhammadu Buhari’s New
Year message over plans to
construct a rail line to Maradi
in Niger State while many
states in the country do not
have any rail link.