The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) has criticised the Federal Government’s plan to provide ranches for herdsmen in the Southwest.
Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina had in an interview on AIT, charged those against the administration’s ranching and colony programmes for herdsmen to have a rethink.
He said they were better off living with the ranches and colonies than dying through the persisting conflicts.
Reacting, the YCE’s Secretary-General, Kunle Olajide, at a debate on Wednesday organised by Ekitis in Diaspora (EID) for the governorship candidates of political parties ahead of the July 14 election said he cannot understand why government funds are used to establish a business venture for a group of individual businessmen to the disadvantage of others.
He said: “We have seen so many moves being made to use federal power. The Yoruba are not happy with the structure of this country.
“Federal Government should not have business in agriculture other than making policies. The land belongs to the state, it is the state government that should do cattle ranching and farm settlement among others.
“The federal government is already overloaded, that is why there is much corruption there.
“If the country is restructured, it will be to the advantage of every region, it is not only for the Yoruba.
“The North has the largest land mass, we don’t want any group of people to cheat the other.
“As far as we are concerned, grazing, cattle ranching and the likes is a private business, you don’t use federal government’s money to come and promote it.”
