Cattle ranches in S’ West: Oluwo cautions Afenifere, YCE, others

Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

The Oluwo of Iwoland in Osun State, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, has cautioned apex Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) and other Yoruba leaders, who are opposed to the proposed allocation of land for the establishment of cattle ranches in Yorubaland.

The monarch said their stance against creation of cattle ranches for Fulani herders in the South West could be tantamount to planting of seeds of discord among Nigerians.

Oba Akanbi gave the warning in his speech at the ‘N2 billion Community Development Fund Raising’ held at Premier Hotel, Ibadan, at the weekend.

The event was organised by a member of House of Representatives, Mr. Temitope Olatoye, representing  Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency.

The Afenifere and YCE had faulted the Federal Government on the proposed ranching for herdsmen in the South West, saying it would be counter-productive in view of the incessant clashes between farmers and herders.

The Oluwo, who pronounced himself as Emir of Iwo, recently, asked why those saying land should not be allocated for the establishment of cattle ranches in Yorubaland did not oppose to the establishment of Dangote’s plants and refineries in the region.

The monarch insisted that lands in Nigeria belong to all Nigerians, urging Yoruba leaders to always promote love and unity among members of all tribes in the country.

His words, “More than half of the land mass of this country belongs to the North. The remaining is shared by the Southerners. We should look for unity. We should not discriminate.

“The land together is called Nigerian land and it belongs to all of us. There should be no discrimination. That is why I call myself the Alaafin of Iwo, Ooni of Iwo, Alake of Iwo. We traditional rulers should be fathers to all.”

Olatoye, in his address, stated that the rich would never sleep as long as “the poor are hungry. I therefore call on all men and women of goodwill, who have the determination like me to give succour to the underprivileged, the voiceless and thousands of jobless youths who require vocational skills and entrepreneurship training in our society, to lend support through the launching of this N2 billon Olatoye Sugar Foundation  (OSF) Community Development fund-raising.”