Benue State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has said that during the administration of late Aper Aku, the first executive governor of the state specific areas were mapped out for ranching.
The governor, however, declared that if the Benue people do not want ranching of cows the federal government would not force the policy on the state.
Alia, who stated this at the weekend in Makurdi after administering the oath of office to newly appointed commissioners, was apparently responding to reactions following the listing of Benue among states selected for the ranching.
He acknowledged that the state has law prohibiting open grazing in the state and it was still in force and practice.
According to Alia, “During Aper Aku regime, we had specific places that were mapped out for ranching. We have areas like Kyogen, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are even getting cows to Kyogen,” he explained.
Alia also noted that areas in Vandeikya had also been mapped out for the ranching of sheep and goats, adding that livestock development should not automatically be interpreted as a plan to introduce cattle ranching into the state.
“If we don’t want cows, meaning if the people of the state do not want the ranching of cows here, the Federal Government is not forcing the state to have cow ranching,” the governor said.
Alia maintained that nobody is forcing anything on anybody, “on any state at all,” explaining that President Bola Tinubu would not force Benue to implement a policy against the wishes of its people.
