CENTUS NWEZE
People’s Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has asked Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, to tell Nigerians if it is a crime for herdsmen to practice cattle ranching.
The politician and party stalwart made the statement as the quit notice given to herdsmen to vacate Ondo State forests by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu continues to generate controversy.
Onuesoke, speaking to journalists in Asaba, said it is unfortunate that the presidential spokesman who is an educated and a vibrant journalist that is well travelled should make such statement instead of advising the cattle rearers to practice cattle ranching as it is done in developed countries.
“It is unfortunate that countries over the world are moving from analogue to digital in animal husbandry, the APC government is retrogressing backwards to analogue. Is it a crime to ranch our cows? I am talking in respect to the Ondo state current issue.
“What does it takes the Federal Government to pass a law for every herders to ranch their cows?
“Cow rearing management all over the world is purely ranching.
“Why can’t Shehu Garba say for once that ranching is currently the in thing in animal husbandry for now,” he stated.
He wondered why the presidency has never come to the defense of the innocent victims kidnapped, raped or killed by these criminals disguising as herdsmen residing in the forest, but very fast to defend them, whenever they are called to order.
“I do not want to believe given Shehu Garba’s pedigree that he might want to offer himself as the spokesperson for people masquerading as herdsmen and committing crimes,” Onuesoke said.
