X-raying Ganduje’s Ruga settlement initiative

When I watched on some television stations the debates on the federal government’s choice of Ruga cattle resettlement aimed at addressing the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers in various parts of the country, I realized that the raging controversy, which generated mixed feelings and even litigation is deliberately being misrepresented by ethnic jingoist to fan the ambers of tribal and religious cynicism just for their corny interests. I initially had chosen not to delve into the debate, but having realized that not enough publicity on the benefits of the Ruga scheme had been done, I believe there is the need for me to share with you Gov. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s numerous interventions in this direction with a view to enable other northern governors to emulate.

Pioneering the initiation of development-oriented interventions has been the peculiarity of Governor Ganduje since assumption of office in 2015.

Ganduje resolved to tackle the issue headlong, when in his first term inaugural address, pronounced tackling the tricky issue as one of his key areas of priority. And true to his words, the governor adopted far-reaching measures to deal with the situation and also proposed collaboration with the federal government to fashion out a resettlement scheme that will take into consideration the educational, socio-economic and security well-being of the normads as well as the disturbing issue of cattle rustling, banditry and encroachment of grazing areas due to the high increase of our population.

The constitution a 16-man committee for the establishment of Ruga Settlements and Milk Markets in the state, which will be carried out in collaboration with Islamic Development Bank, is the latest in the series of interpolations since 2015 to bring succor to the hardship being faced by Fulani herdsmen and to improve their livelihood. The proposed settlements is expected to accommodate not only Kano herders, but cattle breeders across the country as well as neighbouring West African countries.

Until this recent intervention, activities of cattle rustlers such as rape, killings, abduction and banditry had paralyzed economic activities in communities particularly in Sumaila and Doguwa local government areas, which left a lot of cattle farmers in a state of despair.

The governor began with the issue of cattle rustling by mobilizing security agencies and hence the formation of

of a Police Anti-Cattle Rustling Squad, Ambush Squad and Tactical Observation points along the Falgore forest. The police teams were deployed to Tundun Wada, Doguwa and Sunmaila local government areas of the state, and were given all the support that they need to arrest the rustlers and prevent further loss of cattle in the state. A military formation was also established to further reinforce the police effort, in addition to the construction of four prototype security dormitories at Kano entrances that included Katsina Road, Zaria Road, Maiduguri Road, Dambatta Road, Gwarzo Road and Falgore Game Reserve.

Ganduje also set-up the state Standing Committee on Repatriation and Recovery of Rustled Cattle to the rightful owners. In the process, thousands of domestic animals were recovered by the committee and handed over to rightful owners. Since then, the problem was drastically or completely eradicated and the hope of cattle farmers was restored.

Equally, the Ganduje administration established two Artificial Insemination Centres at Kadawa in Garun Malam and Tukui in Dambatta local government areas respectively to ensure high quality meat and milk production. Not only that, 60 youth herders (male and female) had undergone training on modern rearing techniques and artificial insemination method in Istambul, Turkey courtesy of Ganduje administration to boost their economic activities as well as to strengthen the potentials of the cattle herders as a way to reduce the incessant clashes between them and farmers over grazing issues.

Consequently, this move by the federal government to establish the Ruga Settlementwhich was received with inundation of criticismthat seeks to settle migrant pastoral families, is further reinforcement of the Ganduje administration’s long term plan to organising rural settlement.

That decision followed public outcry against the atrocities of armed herdsmen across the states of the federation, compelling Nigerians to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to proffer a permanent solution to the crisis which some governors, have strangely turned around to vow that not an inch of their land would be ceded for Ruga. Consequent upon the pressure mounted on the Presidency, which was championing the cause, President Buhari announced the suspension of the project in which contracts had already been awarded.

The Ganduje administration is committed to making the Ruga initiative a success because of its huge and farreaching impact on public safety and national security.

With the setting up of the committee to look into the establishment of Ruga settlement in Kano, the cattle rearing industry will be transformed from sociocultural to socio-economic venture. It will also put an end to the persistent wandering of herdsmen and also help expand them economically and it is expected to identify suitable areas within the state for the establishment of Ruga settlement. In the long-run, the Ruga project will benefit all Nigerians through less friction between farmers and herders, food security, and sustainable development.

The committee will identify market for the products that may come out from the Ruga settlement that may be required in making the Ruga more comfortable for the herders which include provision of animal clinics, health care facilities, schools among other social services. The committee, which has representatives from all security agencies, will also identify areas and location for the establishment of milk market for the Fulani women with other investors on public private partnership to easily sell their products.

The project will also take care of all category of herdsmen that include those rearing their cattle around their houses who do not pose a problem because they don’t move around, herders who are Nigerians from the northern part of the country, but will move across to the MiddleBelt and the southern part of the country during dry season in search of greener pasture; they come back to their base in the North after a while as well herdsmen who travel from neighbouring countries of Chad and Cameroon to the northern part of the country, from where they also move to the South in search of grazing land for their cattle. While it is also expected that the ranch will take care of the social and economic needs of the herders, they will also be restricted from wandering to the South-South, South, South East and South Western part of the country during the farming season.

Given the success story of Governor Ganduje’s initiatives aimed at dealing with farmer/ herdsmen problem, when fully implemented, the Ruga settlement in Kano is expected to be a multi-billion naira investment with potentials to realize huge revenues and provides thousands of employment opportunities to the teeming youth through the establishment of industrial entities such diary factories, meat processing, hides and skin and other animal products.

Garba is the immediate past commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports & Culture, Kano state