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FG Plots Land Use Act Repeal For Ruga -SMBLF Alerts …Be Vigilant, CAN Warns Southerners
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has said there is a surreptitious plan by the Federal Government to repeal the Land Use Act and take over the control of lands in the country from state governors.
This, it said, was to enable the government to subsequently implement the suspended Ruga project.
The forum said it gathered that the Federal Government suspended the Ruga Settlement Programme due to the Act which restricted its access to land, adding that the government may move to repeal the law in order to facilitate the implementation of the Ruga grazing scheme.
The SMBLF cautioned Southern lawmakers in the National Assembly to be vigilant and to guard against the introduction of any bill intended to repeal or amend the Land Use Act.
The forum said this in a statement in Abuja, yesterday by its co-spokespersons: Yinka Odumakin (South-West), Prof. Chigozie Ogbu (South-East), Senator Bassey Henshaw (South-South) and Dr Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt).
The group stated that it was not impressed by the suspension of the Ruga Settlement Project, which it declared as “an expansionist agenda on behalf of the Fulani nomads.”
The statement reads, “It is being alleged that there will be moves to repeal the Land Use Act in the (Ruga) suspension period so the Federal Government can have authority over land which is currently under the states.
“We, therefore, call on all our members in the National Assembly to be vigilant about any surreptitious bill that may be introduced to tamper with control of land and thwart such without any waste of time.
“The 2014 National Conference debated this issue at length and resolved to retain the Land Use Act in the Constitution.”
The forum further warned the lawmakers against passing the ‘Bill to establish a Regulatory Framework for the Water Resources Sector in Nigeria,’ sponsored by the executive, noting that it was meant to give the Federal Government sole authority and control over the nation’s rivers and underground water.
The group added, “When this obnoxious Water Bill is taken alongside the Ruga programme and the speculated assault on Land Use Act, the internal colonialism agenda is complete and we would have no one but ourselves to blame if we don’t effect our ‘no-pasaran’ (They shall not pass — a slogan used to express determination to defend a position against an enemy).
“It is pertinent to ask why the FG is not going ahead with Ruga in some northern states that have accepted the policy if the whole idea was not about land-grabbing in the South and Middle Belt states,” it said.
The political pressure group stated that the Federal Government’s support for local government autonomy was hinged on the Ruga scheme to allow “aliens” to take over allotted land under the programme.
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in Southern Nigeria, yesterday, cautioned the people of the area to remain cautious even with the suspension of the controversial Ruga settlements for Fulani herdsmen.
The warning was contained in a press statement issued by the Secretary of CAN in the 17 Southern States, Dr Joseph Ajujungwa.
Ajujungwa, who said the suspension of the programme by President Muhammadu Buhari may not be its end, said there was every indication “though it is claimed that it has been suspended, the underground work is still going on.”
He called on every Southerner “to be watchful”, stressing that “even as we pray, we don’t need to keep quiet; they are experts in underground work.”
He added that “We do not have land to give to anybody as a grazing field or colony and we call on the South-East governors to maintain their stand that they do not have such a place. Do you know what it means to give 10 hectares of land to herdsmen? We say no to that.
“As CAN, we will preach it from our pulpit, every Imam should preach from the mosque and the traditionalists should stand against it; nobody should relent; no land should be given; any traditional ruler that does that should be dethroned.
“In the North, we have largest hectares of land, very vast that nobody is occupying. Why are they not building the ranches, Ruga of whatever there? They can come here, take grass and go, and we buy cow in exchange, just like the governors said. We do not have such mass land required.”
“We are also calling on the federal government to be mindful of what they are doing because cattle rearing is a private farming business. Why should the government support individual cattle farmers against other farmers?”
On the threat and ultimatum issued by a coalition of Northern Youths, Ajujungwa said, “they should understand that nobody has the monopoly of violence. As they are planning to attack, others are planning to defend themselves and we cannot run away for them.
“CAN is calling on all Christians, all law abiding citizens of the Southern Nigeria to, please, watch and pray. Watch means that you must open your eyes to see what is going on and therefore pray; do not relent.
“Anybody that is coming to buy land now, in the name of business, factory, and what have you, let us be cautious in dealing with the person, because their plot is to turn such into colony.”
Also, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has described the Ruga settlement policy initiated by the Presidency as an ethnic agenda, saying that ranching was the way to end killing by Fulani herdsmen.
The Igbo socio-political body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, as well as the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have joined Afenifere in calling on the Federal Government to embrace and preach ranching to Fulani herdsmen instead of funding their private business.
In the same vein, the umbrella body for the North, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has called on Nigerians not to heat up the polity on the Ruga issue, stressing that peaceful herdsmen in the country should be encouraged.
Speaking through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin, in an interview with newsmen, Afenifere said the government must not commit the nation’s resources to the private business of individuals.
Odumakin said, “There are three things that will solve the problem of herdsmen killings. The first thing is that the Federal Government should stop behaving like the government of herdsmen. Government must begin to enforce law and order and make sure that no group or people act with impunity against the other.
“We have cases of those who have gone at one time or another to report herdsmen’s atrocities but security forces would not take their reports because the president is the grand patron of herdsmen. That constrains security agencies from acting against them because they see it as against the president.
“Nigerians voted for ranching at the 2014 constitutional conference as a way out of this crisis and that those ranches should not be the business of government. Individuals should set them up because the owners of these cattle are billionaires but those who are moving the cattle labourers.
“If there is no ethnic agenda, which former President Olusegun Obasanjo called Fulanisation, there is no need committing government’s resources to individuals’ businesses. This is why so many people believe that Buhari is pursuing an ethnic agenda.”
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Uche Achi-Ukpaga, said that ranching was the way out, but said the ranches should be built in the North where the cattle are.
He said, “If anyone is in government and the kind of killing, maiming and other wicked acts by the herdsmen are still going on, then you resign because you don’t have the initiative to tackle it.
“Our position on Ruga is that it should be cancelled and not suspended. Suspension is like keep-in-view. Some of the actions of the government are laughable.
“People are saying that the Sambisa Forest is large enough to accommodate all the cattle in Africa, not Nigeria alone. There is green vegetation there and government can go there to do ranching or Ruga. There is land in the North and cattle are there. Why can’t they set up whatever they want to set up there?
“We want Ruga to be cancelled. We don’t want it in the South. If we must do ranching, let them do it in the North where there is a large expanse of land lying fallow. Why coming to the South where the land is congested?”
In the same vein, the PANDEF asked the Federal Government to create an enabling environment for ranching, noting that this was the solution to the herdsmen-farmers’ conflict in the country.
PANDEF said it would not entertain the implementation of Ruga in the South-South, stressing that herders, like other Nigerian businessmen, could buy land in any state and set up ranches.
The National Secretary of the Niger Delta group, Dr Alfred Mulade, told the government to steer clear of the issue, adding that herdsmen, who wished to set up ranches, were free to do so.
Mulade stated, “Ranching is okay but it should be left to the herders just like the way any Igboman hires a shop in any part of the country for his business. It’s purely a business venture. So, the government should steer clear of it, because cattle rearing is a business, just like any other business.
“If the herders feel the need to do ranching, they could buy land in any part of the country. The government cannot force anything down the throats of the people.”
Similarly, the Taraba Volunteer Group, a civil society organisation, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for listening to the voice of reason and suspending the proposed Ruga settlements for Fulani herdsmen.
In a statement by the group’s Coordinator, Mr Joseph Terence, and Legal Adviser, Mr Nierus Johnson, in Jalingo, TVG said Ruga settlement was clearly against the import and the provisions of Section 42 (1) b of the 1999 Constitution as amended which provides for equal treatment for all communities and citizens.
“Rather than spend huge sums of money to benefit only a particular community in the name of Ruga settlement, such funds should be used in alleviating the sufferings of millions of Nigerians in IDP camps.”
The Senate has announced that it will hold an emergency plenary sitting tomorrow (Tuesday).
The announcement was made yesterday in a statement signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, who said all senators have been requested to attend.
“The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has directed the reconvening of plenary for an emergency sitting on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026,” the statement read.
The session is scheduled to commence at 12 noon.
This comes just days after the Senate passed the amendment bill on February 4, but voted down Clause 60(3), which would have required presiding officers to electronically transmit results from polling units directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing portal in real time.
The rejected clause aimed to make the process mandatory.
The lawmaker replaced it with the current discretionary “transfer” of results, which allows electronic transmission only after votes are counted and publicly announced at polling units.
Civil society groups and opposition figures in the country have condemned the Senate’s decision, labelling it a setback for Nigeria’s democratic progress.
Senate President Akpabio has, however, defended the Senate’s actions, insisting during a public event that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission and vowing not to be intimidated.
Tomorrow’s emergency sitting could see the Senate reconsider the rejected amendment amid public outcry and potential legal challenges from figures such as lawyer Femi Falana, with possible implications for Nigeria’s democratic processes and the balance between incumbency protections and verifiable voting technology.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to investigate members of the Senate and other public officers over alleged irregularities in the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the Tax Reform Laws.
According to a statement issued yesterday by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation is seeking a prompt, thorough, and effective probe into claims that some senators removed provisions on electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during plenary, despite a majority having voted for their inclusion and without any debate on the proposed removal.
“According to our information, certain members of the Senate allegedly removed the provisions on electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during plenary after the majority of the senators had voted for the inclusion of the provisions and without any debate on the proposed removal of the said provisions,” SERAP said.
The organisation also requested the CCB to investigate alterations in the Tax Reform Bills, which reportedly led to discrepancies between the harmonised versions passed by the National Assembly and the copies signed into law and gazetted by the Federal Government.
“Similarly, the National Assembly recently alleged that there are unlawful alterations and some material differences between the tax reform bills passed by the legislative body and the tax reform laws gazetted by the Federal Government.
“A Sokoto lawmaker, Abdussamad Dasuki, raised the issue under a matter of privilege, drawing the attention of the House to the alleged discrepancies between the harmonised versions of the tax reform bills passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and the copies gazetted by the Federal Government.
“The lawmakers said the alterations contained in the gazetted copies did not receive legislative approval. These alleged unlawful alterations raise questions over the legality and legitimacy of both the law-making processes and the versions of the tax laws circulated by the Federal Ministry of Information,” the petition added.
The Senate had denied removing the provisions on electronic transmission of election results, saying it only removed the term “real time” from the sentence, citing judicial concerns.
Similarly, the National Assembly had initiated investigations into the alleged discrepancies in the tax bill and released a “certified” version of the Acts to address the contradictions. The law took effect on January 1, 2026.
SERAP said the petition is submitted under paragraphs 1 and 9 of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers contained in the Fifth Schedule, Part 1 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and sections 5 and 13 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
It alleged that the processes leading to the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the signing of the Tax Reform Laws were marked by alterations to bill provisions without debate and due process of law, as well as alterations to the Tax Reform Bill without the approval of the National Assembly.
“The petition raises issues of conflict of interest, abuse of office, non-disclosure of interests, lack of due process, and erosion of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers in the exercise of legislative power.
“There are also allegations that certain amendments may have been removed or introduced to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the Tax Reform Laws to serve private or political interests rather than the public interest,” the petition reads.
Citing the Constitution, SERAP noted that public officers must not place themselves in situations where personal interests conflict with official duties.
Specifically, the organisation asked the Bureau to formally register the petition and “promptly, thoroughly, transparently, and effectively investigate the conduct of the lawmakers and officers of the executive branch allegedly involved;
“Examine whether inducements, benefits, or promises were offered or received in connection with those acts;
“Examine whether the alleged cumulative conduct of lawmakers and officers of the executive branch amounted to abuse of legislative power, conflict of interest, and breach of due process, contrary to the Code of Conduct for Public Officers;
“Refer any substantiated violations to the Code of Conduct Tribunal; and
“Take all necessary steps to uphold the principle that public office is a public trust.”
The petition requested that the Bureau consider the complaint within seven days, warning that legal action could follow if there is no response.
Dated February 7, 2026, the petition was signed by Oluwadare and sent to the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr Abdullahi Bello.
The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), Rivers State Branch, has expanded its humanitarian footprint in Rivers State with the formal inauguration of student volunteers at Command Children School (CCS), Bori Camp, Port Harcourt, marking a significant step in promoting humanitarian values among young Nigerians.
The ceremony, which took place at the school premises, officially admitted CCS students into the Nigerian Red Cross Society.
The Rivers State Branch Representative of the Red Cross Society, Mr Noah Idegbesor, disclosed this in his opening remarks at the occasion.
In a symbolic display, the students marched to the flag stand alongside members of the high table and the Branch Representative, where the Red Cross flag was hoisted, signifying the school’s full induction into the Nigerian Red Cross Society.
With the flag raised, CCS was formally declared a member institution of the NRCS.
As part of the inauguration, a certificate of affiliation was presented to the school by the Nigerian Red Cross Society and received on behalf of the school by the Head Teacher, Mrs Onwuzuruigbo Taiwo.
Speaking as Chairman of the occasion, the Acting Director, Nigerian Army 6 Division Education Services, Port Harcourt, Lt. Col. A. Sadiq, described the event as very unique and significant.
Represented by Staff Sergeant Arisa Eberechi, the Director assured of the support of his team in ensuring success of the endeavour.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the school, Mr Zuru Daniel, said the establishment of the Red Cross unit in the school was a welcome development and assured of the support of the body to ensure its sustainability.
The event also featured a parade by the volunteers, freewill donations from dignitaries and parents in attendance, underscoring community support for the humanitarian initiative.
Speaking earlier, the Head Teacher, Mrs Onwuzuruigbo Taiwo, described the inauguration as an emotional and fulfilling moment.
“It was awesome. We thought it would not be possible, but today it was glorious,” she said.
Taiwo explained that the school’s participation in the Red Cross Society began when management decided to introduce clubs and societies.
“I told my assistant that I wanted the Red Cross to be one of them. The Red Cross signifies many things; it is service to humanity,” she added.
Also, the Assistant Head Teacher, Mrs Bawo Agbana, expressed appreciation to dignitaries, officials of the Nigerian Red Cross Society and parents for their support and presence.
The Assistant Head Teacher (Administration) described the programme as overwhelming and exciting, expressing gratitude to God for its success.
She said the school’s decision to embrace the Red Cross Society was driven by the need to instill values of love, kindness and service in children from an early age.
“Our impression of the Red Cross is being good to people, showing love and kindness. As the children grow, we want to build the spirit of humanity in them so they can show love and care in school, their communities and Nigeria at large,” she said, adding that early training was crucial given current challenges in the country.
She also delivered the closing remark, after which a photo session was held with the newly inaugurated student volunteers.
Other dignitaries at the occasion include Chairman, Python Officers’ Mess, 6 Division, Port Harcourt, Chief Dan Harrison, and the Sualla 1 of Adagbabiri Kingdom, Chief Col. K. Agbana (Rtd.),
Speaking in an interview at the event, 10-year-old primary five pupil, Precious Ote, said she volunteered to join the Red Cross Society because of her desire to help and care for people.
Similarly, 11-year-old Eno Marvellous of Primary Four expressed excitement at becoming a member of the Red Cross Society, noting that her hope is “to save” lives.
The inauguration highlights ongoing efforts by the Nigerian Red Cross Society to nurture a culture of volunteerism, compassion and humanitarian service among schoolchildren in Port Harcourt and beyond.
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