The Catholic bishop of Awka Diocese, His Excellency Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, has described the plan by federal government to establish RUGA Settlement in any part of the South East as a misnomer.
Ezeokafor, who stated this at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Nibo, in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, urged the National Assembly not to consider supporting the RUGA Bill, maintaining that cattle rearing remained a private business and should not form a national discourse.
The Catholic prelate also enjoined all traditional rulers not to consent to RUGA which described as subtle attempt by the Fulani oligarchy to subject the entire nation into a difficult situation and then possibly fulfill their nefarious ends.
“Imagine! What are we even talking about? This issue should not be discussed in the first instance. How can we be talking about RUGA in a country like Nigeria? These people are really planning to Islamize Nigeria, but, we will not allow them. Nigeria remains a secular nation.
“The National Assembly should not consider it at all. It is not for our own good. What we need is restructuring. We need state police. I have said it before, and I am going to say it again, that what we need is state police. Let every region manage their natural resources. Let each region build their place. Let us have state police whereby we will be safeguarding ourselves by ourselves.
“I heard that our International Passport now carries the picture of Fulani herdsmen and their cattle. If that is true, then, we are in for serious trouble. I want to believe it is not true. How can we have such in a secular country like Nigeria? I urge the traditional rulers not to consider giving any Fulani man an inch, let alone, land, in their respective communities.
“We should not be talking about this at this 21 Century When other countries of the world are talking about producing cars that will run without patrol, we are here talking about RUGA. Nigeria operates mono- economy (everything dependent on oil). 95% of what we do today in Nigeria is oil driven. No country will survive that way.
“From Fulani Radio and negotiation with Miyetti Allah to Ruga settlements. They are doing all these things without recourse to inclusivity in a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria,” he said.
