By Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
The Benue Non-Governmental Organisations Network (BENGONET) has rejected any attempt to impose a ranching programme on Benue State without due process, extensive consultation with affected communities and compliance with existing laws.
The umbrella body of non-governmental and civil society organisations in the state said priority should instead be given to securing communities and ensuring the safe return, resettlement and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
BENGONET stated its position on Tuesday in Makurdi while reacting to the Federal Government’s livestock development programme, which includes plans to establish ranches in selected pilot states, including Benue.
Addressing journalists, BENGONET Chairman, Lazarus Mom, said the organisation was not opposed to lawful agricultural development, livestock production, private investment or initiatives capable of promoting peace, food security and economic development.
Mom, represented by the Vice Chairman, Daniel Aondona Seer, however, said such initiatives must take into account the security and humanitarian challenges facing communities in the state.
He said thousands of Benue residents had been displaced from their ancestral communities by years of violence, arguing that securing affected areas and enabling displaced people to return home should receive urgent attention.
According to BENGONET, discussions about allocating land for ranching should not take precedence over efforts to restore peace, rebuild destroyed communities and enable displaced residents to return safely to their homes and farms.
«“There can be no meaningful conversation about the use of land for new initiatives while the lawful occupants of many communities remain displaced and unable to safely access their ancestral homes and farmlands,” the group said.»
It called on the federal and state governments to demonstrate what it described as an urgent and practical commitment to the safe return, rehabilitation and sustainable resettlement of displaced people.
BENGONET Demands Consultation, Compliance With Laws
Mom said decisions concerning ranching should be people-centred, transparent and based on genuine consultations with affected communities.
He noted that land remained an important source of livelihood, identity and inheritance for many Benue residents and should therefore not be allocated for ranching without appropriate legal procedures.
BENGONET said any ranching initiative should comply with the Constitution, the Land Use Act and applicable Benue State laws.
The organisation also called for the full involvement of the Benue State Government, traditional institutions, landowners, farmers’ associations, civil society organisations, women and youth groups, local government authorities and other stakeholders before decisions affecting land are taken.
“Consultation must not be a mere formality conducted after decisions have already been taken. The people must be involved before decisions are made, not merely informed after decisions have been reached,” it said.
The group further cited the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, arguing that ranching activities in the state should follow the procedures prescribed under the existing legal framework.
“We must be clear: Benue State is governed by law, and the establishment of ranches must follow the law,” BENGONET said.
It maintained that individuals or organisations interested in ranching as a commercial or agricultural enterprise should operate through lawful procedures and respect land rights and host communities.
Group Lists Seven Demands
BENGONET called for sustained efforts to secure communities and end killings and destruction of property across the state.
It also demanded the safe and dignified resettlement of IDPs, including support for rebuilding homes, communities and livelihoods.
The group further called for compliance with the Constitution, the Land Use Act and relevant Benue State laws in implementing ranching programmes.
It demanded respect for the state’s existing legal framework on open grazing and ranch establishment, as well as broad and transparent consultations before major decisions concerning land are taken.
BENGONET also called for the full involvement of the Benue State Government and relevant institutions in decisions affecting land and livestock development.
It further demanded guarantees that no land would be acquired, allocated or designated for ranching without lawful authority, due process, transparency and respect for the rights of affected communities and lawful occupants.
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