Politics
The Politics Of RUGA Settlement
Finally the raging and controversial RUGA settlement or cattle colonies project proposed and marketed by President Muhammadu Buhari has been buried, at least for now.
What we don’t know is under what protext or label it will be resurrected to distract the nation from the present realities of dire economic problems which many households are facing.
Surprisingly this RUGA settlement was never part of the APC’s manifesto or proposal during the 2018 to 2019 political campaign period, but suddenly the government woke up and tried every possible means to force it down the throat of Nigerians.
Even in the presidency, there seems to be a disconnect between those pushing for the RUGA option and the comprehensive ranching transformation agricultural project under the auspices of the Vice President, Professor Yomi Osinbajo.
In Nigeria, we like playing with words, so what is the difference between the cattle colonies that was canvassed for in 2017/2018 and the RUGA project of 2019? It is obvious that there are people in the corridors of power who think that most Nigerians are fools and can’t read in between the lines of words that are meant to confuse people with simple minds.
Whatever you call it, RUGA or cattle colonies are one and the same thing. It is just a matter of choice of words or label to sell an unworkable policy in most parts of the country.
The palpable fear and the opposition this RUGA generated across the country indicate that primordial economic solution to modern problems are unworkable in an enlightened society. It is not that people hate cattle herders, but their antecedents are an open book of destruction of farmlands, murder, rape and genocide.
In states like Plateau, Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Enugu, rampaging herdsmen have left in their wake massive destruction of lives and property and as at today, they have even ventured to the lucrative crime of kidnapping. And to make matters worse, hardly can we hear of arrests made by security agencies of these marauders.
So, when the federal government tried to re-label its unworkable cattle colonies project to Ruga settlements, the opposition to it from the middle belt and the states in the southern part of the country was overwhelming. As notable personalities like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former chief of army staff, General Theofilus Danjuma, governor from the South-East, South-South, the middle belt, clerics and socio-cultural groups like the Ohaneze, Afenifere, the Ijaw National Congress, all condemning the scheme.
So what really went wrong? To some keen observers of the socio-political structure of the country, the president is just pandering to the whims and caprices of his Fulani kinsmen. Apart from that, he is also the life patron of the Miyeh Allah group, which sees nothing wrong in their actions.
There is also this feeling that in Nigeria under the present dispensation, the lives of cows have more value than human lives, that is why despite the atrocities committed by this group, the presidency has never ordered security agencies to deal with them the way the government has dealt with others, for example, the Biafra group.
Again, there is the universal belief that cattle rearing is a private business and the government should not involve itself in such a venture. But the passion and zeal shown towards the project, coupled with the fact that in some states, sign posts have been hurriedly in some states, sign posts have been hurriedly put up, such as in Benue State, without the consent of the host government despite the fact that there is already a law prohibiting open grazing of cattle, calls for concerns.
Meanwhile the somersault by the government to jettison the idea is highly welcomed and shows that if Nigerians speak with one voice absurd policies will no longer have a place in the country.
According to the current global terrorist index report, “not less than 3,641 people were killed between 2015 to late 2018. And in 2018 alone 1,700 people were killed by herdsmen between January and September of 2018. It adds that the herdsmen have killed six times more people than any terrorist group in Africa”.
So, no one with a same mind, who values his or her life will like to have the herdsmen as neighbours. But if the option of ranches is implemented the issues of violence or rape of women in their farms will no longer persist. The herdsmen should be encouraged to buy land and join the modern world by building their own ranches. Ranching still remains the best option as it will provide the individual herdsman the opportunity to expand his business, have better health facilities and as well, eliminate cattle rustling and theft.
It is only when we play less politics with serious issues that we can make any meaningful progress. There is this distrust of certain government policies that no matter how it is painted it will still have a bad smell. Why is it that from 36 states to 12 and now to being suspended; the Buhari administration should jettison its ill-conceived so called cattle colonies and promote modern ranching as it obtain in South African, Namibia, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and Argentina. We don’t need to see cows roaming the streets of Abuja, Lagos or Port Harcourt, creating nuisance and threatening the lives of pedistrians and motorists.
Today, a lot of Nigerians will feel vindicted that the huge outcry has paid off with the suspension of the programme, but there still should be vigilance as we don’t know yet the next device that would be used to promote this absurd idea of cattle colonies nationwide for a particular ethnic group. Because if the scheme had sailed through, every ethnic group that was dormant in a particular trade or business could advocate for its own; such as breweries, piggery, dog meat, snake, motor spare parts and others.
Let us grow above primordial sentiments and think like a 21st century human being.
Tonye Ikiroma-Owiye
A senator who represented Taraba Central, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, has declared that the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu are not yielding the expected results.
His comment is one of the strongest internal critiques yet from within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The comment underscores the growing dissatisfaction within sections of the ruling party over the direction and impact of the administration’s economic reforms amid rising living costs and fiscal pressures across the country.
Mr Yusuf, who served in the Senate between 2015 and 2023 under the platform of the APC, made the remarks during an appearance on national television.
Responding to a question on whether the administration’s economic direction, often referred to as Tinubunomics, was working, Mr Yusuf answered in the contrary.
“For me, it is not working. I am a member of the APC. I would be the last person to hide the facts”, he said.
He said while the government might be operating diligently within its policy structure, the framework itself is ill-suited to Nigeria’s current realities
“Within the policy framework, yes, they are doing their best, but it is not the framework that is suitable for Nigeria at the point in time that President Asiwaju came into power,” he said.
Mr Yusuf criticised the immediate removal of fuel subsidy on the day the president was sworn in, arguing that the decision lacked sufficient consultation and planning.
“I am one of those who say President Asiwaju ought to have waited. Not on the day he was sworn in to say subsidy is gone. On what basis?”, he asked.
He urged broader engagement before major fiscal decisions are taken.
“Sit down with your cabinet, sit down with your ministers, sit down with your advisers,” he said, dismissing the argument that subsidy removal was justified solely on grounds of corruption.
The former lawmaker identified “structural flaws” in the country’s budgeting system, particularly the envelope budgeting model.
“One of the basic problems is that before you budget, you should have a plan. The envelope system we have been operating has been you budget before you plan. That has been a major issue”, he said.
He argued that allocating spending ceilings without aligning them to concrete development strategies inevitably weakens implementation and delivery.
“If you give me an envelope which is contrary to my plan, whether it is plus or minus, there is no way I am going to implement my plan. It is bound to fail,” he said.
Mr Yusuf called for the scrapping of the envelope budgeting system, noting that he had consistently opposed it even during his years in the National Assembly.
“It is not good for us. It is not going to work well for us,” he said.
He further blamed poor capital releases and persistent deficit financing for undermining budget performance over the years.
“We could not meet 60 percent of our capital budget in all these years. No releases. If you make a budget and the release is very poor, there is no way the budget will be executed”, he stated.
According to him, weak fund disbursement mechanisms and reliance on deficit financing have entrenched a cycle of underperformance.
“Our budget ought to have been a surplus budget, but all our budgets have always been deficit financing budgets,” Mr Yusuf added.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has resolved to reconvene for an emergency session tomorrow February 17, 2026, to deliberate on issues arising from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) release of the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued by the House Spokesman, Rep. Akin Rotimi, who described the electoral body’s announcement as one of “constitutional and national significance.”
INEC had fixed February 20, 2027, for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
According to the statement, members of the Green Chamber were notified of the emergency sitting through an internal memorandum from the Speaker’s office.
The session is expected to focus on legislative matters connected to the newly released timetable, reflecting the House’s resolve to act promptly on issues affecting the nation’s democratic process.
Rep. Rotimi noted that all related businesses would be treated with urgency and urged lawmakers to prioritise attendance in view of the importance of the deliberations.
INEC had on Friday formally unveiled the comprehensive schedule for the 2027 polls, including timelines for party primaries slated for July to September 2026, as well as the commencement of Continuous Voter Registration in April 2026.
The development comes amid ongoing consultations and proposed amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As the controversy over the transmission of election results continues across the country, the Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), a pro democracy organisation in the country, has criticised the National Assembly for not giving express approval to real time transmission of elections results.
To this end, the group is calling on all civil society organisations in the country to mobilise and push for a better Electoral Reform in the country.
This was contained in a press statement titled, “Defence For Human Rights and Democracy Demands Real Time Election Transmission of Result”, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt.
The group described the refusal of compulsory real time transmission of result results by the Senate as undemocratic, adding that the situation will give room for election manipulation, rigging and voters apathy.
It said that the provision of mandatory real time transmission of election results would have significant improvement on the nation’s democracy.
According to the statement, “Since the return of democracy in 1999 to date, it is 27 years, so our Democracy has metamorphosed from being nascent and as such significant improvement should have been recorded.
“Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is really disappointed at the National Assembly, especially the upper chamber (Senate) for not approving ‘Real Time Electronic Transmission of Election Result’.
“This undemocratic act of theirs, if not tamed, will give room for election manipulation and rigging’”.
Signed by Comrade Clifford Christopher Solomon on behalf of the organisation, the statement further said, “The Defence For Human Rights and Democracy unequivocally supports real time transmission of election result”, stressing that his group will resist any act by the National Assembly to undermine the nation’s democracy.
“DHRD,unequivocally supports ‘True Democracy’, which is Government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“Therefore, anything that will crash the hope of Nigerians to Freely, Fairly and Transparently elect candidates of their choice in any given election should and will be vehemently resisted because good governance begins with leaders elected through credible process. By so doing, leaders have entered a social contract with the citizens to equitably manage their affairs and abundant resources”, the statement added.
It urged the National Assembly to revisit the issue in order to avoid civil unrest.
According to the DHRD, “To avoid civil unrest,voters apathy, election rigging and manipulation, rather to promote citizens participation, advancing our Democracy and entrenching free, fair, credible and acceptable electoral outcome, the National Assembly should amend the electoral act in a manner that will deepen our democracy and boost citizens confidence.
“On this note, The Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is calling on all other civil society organisations (CSOs) to mobilise, organise and push for a better electoral act amendment by the National Assembly”.
By: John Bibor
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