With a whopping 16 states agreeing to making provision for cattle colonies on their land, the Niger Delta have decided that they will not be part of this group.
This was a decision reached by leaders of the region under the aegis of the Pan Niger Delta Forum who have said that they stand with Benue and would not be making provisions for Cattle Colonies within their region.
There was an emergency meeting on Thursday held at the Kiagbodo country-home of Chief Edwin Clark in Burutu council area of Delta State. In the meeting, the leaders who were drawn from the six states of the N’Delta were of the opinion that people of the oil-rich region would not release any piece of land to the government for cattle Colonies.
This rejection was stated in a statement issued at the end of the meeting which was signed by PANDEF convener, Clark, and read by one of its leaders, Chief Olivia Agbajoh, urged the Federal Government to treat the business of animal husbandry in the country as a commercial activity.
The statement read, “The people of the Niger Delta expressed solidarity with the people of Benue State and other parts of the country where communities have suffered untold menace and brutality in the hands of Fulani herdsmen.
“We rejected the idea of setting up cattle colonies around the country and advised the Federal Government to handle this sensitive matter with tact and treat the issue of animal husbandry as commercial transaction which should be left in the hands of relevant stakeholders.
“PANDEF emphasises that no Niger Delta land will be available for such cattle colonies”