The House of Representatives has set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the N100bn said to have been disbursed to states by the Central Bank of Nigeria to build “mini” cattle ranches across the country.
The National Economic Council reportedly approved the release of the money in 2014 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
But, a member from Kogi State, Mr. Sunday Karimi, moved a motion on Thursday to inform the House that there was no evidence of ranches built in any state from the N100bn.
Incidentally, Karimi is one of the sponsors of the grazing reserves bill pending at the National Assembly.
Karimi, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, recalled how the Federal Government raised a committee chaired by a former Governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, to investigate the frequent conflicts between herdsmen and farmers.
He told the House that the Suswam committee found out that existing grazing routes had been encroached upon and “should be recovered and improved upon.”
Karimi added that, as a result of the findings of the committee, it recommended “the release of N100bn through the CBN as seed funding to all states for the construction of ranches.”
He added that though the money was released without the approval of the National Assembly, there was no evidence of how it was utilised.
“There has not been any ranch constructed anywhere in the country to account for the expenditure of the money,” he said.
Meanwhile, at a separate session, the Committee on Public Petitions, summoned the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Anthony-Aboloma, over complaints that the agency seized goods belonging to D& K Golden Investment Company Limited.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, had said that SON disregarded a Federal High Court’s directive asking the agency to stay action.
~Punch News