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By Samson Ezea
The problem of leadership and followership in Nigeria today is that of who will bell the cat and take the bull by the horn. People know what is good and right, but the problem is who will do it. Many things have been said right, but many have been done wrong as well.
It also takes more than a visionary, courageous and decisive leader to see beyond the immediacy. This is especially in a society like ours where emotions, prebendalism, hypocrisy, cronyism, sycophancy and praise singing are prevalent and reign supreme.
But in Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah has shown and proved that he is different, intentional and visionary as a leader. This is considering the way and manner he has braced the odds in handling the knotty and controversial issue such as signing into law the bill to establish modern ranching in some strategic and designed parts of the state and approaching other revolutionary agricultural programmes and policies of his administration in the state.
Before his signing of the ranching bill into law, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria, agriculture which was before the oil boom in the 70s the mainstay of Nigeria economy has been treated with kid gloves by both governments and the people.
The recurring and increasing insecurity and killer herdsmen’s activities have not helped matter in reviving, expanding and sustaining agricultural practice.
On assumption of office, Governor Mbah had different plans and approaches to the agricultural system in the state, which he has been hurriedly and consistently unveiling and implementing.
It would be recalled that when Mbah’s administration mooted or touted the idea of establishing a modern ranching in some strategic parts of the state, the opposition and some uninformed critics took to social media platforms with all kinds of insinuative, misleading and inciting articles and stories about the ranching project.
Some even alleged that Governor Mbah’s administration wants to establish RUGA in the state and hands over his people’s lands to the marauding and killer herdsmen to appease the Northern oligarchs. Governor Mbah was neither cowed nor daunted by these sponsored social media attacks and criticisms against his government’s move towards establishing a modern ranching system in some parts of the state.
Just like a leader, who saw tomorrow, it could be observed that it was not long after Governor Mbah signed into law the Public ranching bill that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu established Ministry of Livestock.
It was not long again, Governor Mbah received a delegation from the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) led by the National Project Coordinator, Sanusi Abubakar, who were in Enugu for the flag-off of the first Regional Enugu Model Veterinary Hospital in Enugu State.
It is a thing of joy and celebration that the first ever veterinary hospital in the Southeast region is being established in Enugu at a time Mbah’s administration was focused on scaling up meat and dairy production that would serve the state and beyond and at the same increase state revenue, create employment opportunities and contribute to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.
Perusing through the Public Ranch Management Agency Bill 2024 that Governor Mbah signed into law and now a public document, there is no place or section of the law that ceded ownership of land or sale of lands to the herdsmen as being insinuated and peddled on social media platforms by mischief makers and opposition’s social media hirelings.
According the law, there will be an agency called Enugu State Public Ranch Management Agency to be established by Enugu State Government with the responsibilities such as the establishment and maintenance in designated locations modernized public ranches that will provide abbattoir, livestock market, pastoring and veterinary services, ensuring that livestock graze only in ranches among others.
On the powers of the agency, it will issue permits to owners or operators of private ranch within the state, to impound and bring into the ranch any livestock found grazing or wandering or herding in area not permitted as a ranch and others. The agency shall issue or cause to be issued permits subject to Governor’s approval to graze livestock on such ranches to any herders wishing to set up a private ranch in the state upon payment of a permit fee provided that (A) Permits shall be issued to a Nigerian who is authorized to conduct business under the laws of Federal Republic and
(B) Permits shall be for a period of three years and renewable after expiration, subject to the approval of the land owner and upon the existence of other factors for initial grant.
Clearly, the law which is novel in Nigeria, provided permanent solutions to the nefarious activities of the marauding herdsmen that have destroyed so many farms and lives of farmers in Nigeria. With the law, no cattle will be allowed to graze openly again in the state.
The law empowers the people, residents and indigenes of Enugu State to own and establish modern ranches and rear cattle in a more organized manner. This will create employment opportunities and scale up agricultural practice in the state. Also with the law, the marauding herdsmen will have no other option than to obey the ranching law by putting their cattle in the ranches and pay for them or leave the state completely without being compelled or chased out. This is because there is no way they can operate outside the ranch laws in the state, knowing that flouting it will attract heavy and severe sanctions and punishments.
Governor Mbah’s signing into law the ranching bill is a bold, proactive and visionary step that will boost the state agricultural potentials, especially as it concerns livestock farming and animal husbandry.
The Enugu State Public Ranch Management Agency Law 2024 should be studied and copied by other states in Nigeria as it has become increasingly obvious that anti- open grazing law alone cannot solve the recurring herders/farmers clashes in the country. Establishing and regulating activities in public and private ranches across states which is in line with the international best practice will end the endless clashes between the herders and farmers and improve food security in the country.
In Enugu State, Governor Mbah has been very mindful of these and has not rested on his oars since assuming office.
To his administration’s credit so far is the building of nearly 200,000 hectres in its Land Bank for agricultural purposes across in its Produce cities across the 17 local government areas in the state.
Leasing of 15,000 hectres at Ikem Nkwo to Ugwu Anama Farms Enugu SPV Limited for the cultivation of crops; 2,000 hectres at Eha-Amufu to Atlantico Farms and Agro Concepts Limited for crops production and another 100 hectres for the establishment of an ultramodern feed mill and poultry farm; 20,000 hectres to Sujimoto Group for cultivation of rice and development of agro-industrial processing park at Odenigbo, Eha-Amufu; and 7,221 hectres to Fungtai Company Limited for planting of economic trees, crop farming and establishment of agro allied industries parks at Ugwujoro, Nimbo, Uzo-uwani LGA.
Mbah’s administration has also concluded arrangements for takeover of the management and development of the long moribund Songhai Farms Heneke in Ezeagu LGA by Britednuel Agro Limited.
The Biotechnology Industrial Park under construction at Egede/Affa in Udi LGA led by FGN/Enugu State and Private partner Biosouce Technologies Ltd is ongoing rapidly. The Cassava-Bioethanol Value Chain Development pilot project an end to end approach, from cultivation to bio refining is progressing quite well with Enugu State Govt aiming at cultivating 100,000 hectares of Cassava and other crops across the 17 Local Government Areas to support the industrial Park.
In 2023, Enugu State Government cultivated 1,000 hectres in three locations, Aninri, Nkanu East, and Uzo-Uwani LGAs to support the cassava to bioethanol value chain development initiative of the Federal Government in partnership with the private sector.
In order to encourage and promote both subsistence and commercial agricultural practices in the state, Governor Mbah recently flagged off the distribution of free fertilisers, power tillers and other agro inputs to registered farmers at Okpara Square, Enugu.
To ease and ensure free flow of vehicular and human movements and transporting agricultural products to the markets across the state and beyond, Mbah’s administration recently approved the sum of N183bn for the construction of 141 roads in Enugu metropolis and 20 rural roads across the three senatorial zones in the state.
With the massive interventions and programmes, Governor Mbah’s administration has executed in the state in the area of agriculture, Enugu State will soon become the food basket of the nation.
• Ezea writes from Independence Layout, Enugu State