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Etche Communities, Fulani Herdsmen’s Clash Looms …As Villagers Decry Destruction Of Crops
Gov. Sule Lamido of Jigawa Signing into Law the 2014 budget in Dutse last Wednesday. With him is the Commisioner for Finance, Alhaji Umar Roni.
There are indications of tension and likely conflict between Hausa/Fulani herdsmen and some villages of Ikwerrengwor in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State over alleged destruction of their crops and farmlands.
Women in Ozuguru said farms crops worth over N60million in Ama camp in Ozuguru, Umuoke and Umuopiro villages of Ikwerrengwor have been lost to the herdsmen.
The Tide gathered that attempts by the victims to call the cattle grazers to order had been unsuccessful as the herdsmen, instead of retracing their steps, had threaten to unleash mayhem in Ikwerrengwor community.
Speaking to The Tide, the community lawyer based in Port Harcourt, Cyril Nwamarah, disclosed that the community had written a petition to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police over the activities of the herdsmen, stating that the farmers and their community had been under a serious economic and physical siege by the herdsmen.
The petition, dated August, 2013, and titled “Threat to the lives of the people of Ikwerrengwor community and the destruction of their agricultural crops by Hausa/Fulani cattle rearers”, stated that the cattle grazers and their herds of cattle were noticed one afternoon destroying the victims’ farms as they grazed recklessly.
The petition, which was copied to the Oche of Etche, Eze E.M.B. Opurum, Ochimba of Ikwerrengwor, Chief Felix Onyeche and the Chairman of Iriebe Cattle Market Association, said when the farmers requested the herdsmen to desist from grazing their cattle on their farms, they refused and returned the following day with a threat to kill those attempting to stop them from grazing.
‘They specifically told our client that they will employ and apply the Boko Haram warfare strategy against them with killings and burning of houses as it is being done in Plateau and Benue State and other parts of the northern Nigeria,” the petition said.
It further disclosed that the herdsmen had adopted a new strategy of coming at about 1.00am when people were asleep and letting loose their herds of cattle to recklessly graze and destroy the farms.
The petitioners lamented that the activities of the herdsmen were becoming unbearable, and was threatening the existence of the victims who were daily losing their cassava, yams, maize; vegetable and other farm produce to the activities of the cattle grazers.
Barr Nwamarah told The Tide that crops valued at over N60million had been damaged so far, and appealed to the commissioner of police to intervene.
Attempts to get the reaction of the chairman of Iriebe Cattle Market Association could not yield result as he was always said to have gone out.
Further efforts to get the reaction of the police public relation officers of the Rivers State Police Command were also unsuccessful.
Chris Oluoh
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.