Vice president yemi osinbanjo Wednesday flagged off the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) initiated by the federal government to end farmers/herders clashes in the country in Adamawa state.
Speaking at the formal lunching of the programme at Gongoshi grazing reserved in Mayo Belwa local government area of the state, osinbanjo reiterated said the NLTP programme has nothing to do with the suspended Ruga programme.
He further explained that, the programme is not compulsory but voluntary for any state that is willing to participate, assuring that the federal government will not take over land from any state government for the programme or imposed it on any state that is not willing to participate.
He said the idea of the programme was conceived at the heat of the farmers / herders clashes in the country where a committee of some selected governors was constituted to develop a plan that will lead to amicable resolution of the crisis.
He commended the government and people of the state for queuing into the programme stressing that it will be a win-win game for the state.
On his part, Gov. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri reiterated the commitments of his administration to supports any federal government policies that has direct bearing on the lives of the people of the state.
He described the NLTP as all-encompassing and life changing programme that will benefit the country and called on all and sundry to embrace it in the overall interest of the country.
Fintiri also debunked insinuations linking the programme to ruga added that his administration’s decision to embrace the programme is due to their believed that it will foster peaceful co-existence among the people of the state.
However, there was a protest at the venue of the flagging off of the programme as various indigenous groups carrying placards with different inscriptions protested the implementation of the programme in the state.
They made some demands to the federal government as a condition for the takeoff of the programme in their communities.
In a released made available to journalists, a group known as Numan Federation Foundation led by Mr. Maliki Daniel accused the federal government of placing the interest of the pastoralists above human rights protection.
He further explained that the Gongoshi which is one of the area chosen for the pilot schemes were once abodes of the so-called herdsmen who continued to attacked their people therefore they are not comfortable with it.
Other groups who rejected the programme include Gongola Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities Nevelopment Association (GENDA), Pene Da bwatiye among others.
