The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the leading Igbo socio-cultural youth organization, has opposed the Nigerian government’s proposal to establish a Ministry of Livestock.

Speaking to journalists in Enugu on Monday, the National President General of OYC, Igboayaka Igboayaka, described it as a tribal time bomb that would explode into tribal crisis and war in a short time.

Igboayaka asked President Tinubu to drop the idea of creating a Ministry of Livestock, noting that it would spark a tribal war between the Fulanis and other tribes in the country.

Igboayaka recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari tried to force RUGA down the throat of Nigerians but it was vehemently resisted and rejected by well-meaning Nigerians.

He said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should hasten up to cancel the proposed ministry of livestock as initiated by ethnic land grabbers of Fulani political oligarchy through Miyetti Allah.”

According to him, “Unfortunately, President Tinubu was misled on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, into inaugurating the Presidential Committee on Implementation of Livestock Reforms which was tactically keyed in as a means to address obstacles to agricultural productivity and open up new opportunities which benefit farmers, herders, processors and distributors in the livestock-farming value chain, but in actual sense, it is reintroduction of RUGA from back door.”

He added, “It’s historic that the Yorubas have suffered untold ethnic farmers crisis and killings by Fulani herders, therefore President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s creation of livestock ministry is an attempt to arm Fulani herders and institutionalised a monster that will pose a threat to consume Yoruba farmers.”

He said, “It’s pathetic, President Tinubu is not aware that those behind the proposed ministry of livestock are the same cabals that have constantly pushed for the establishment of RUGA in Nigeria for the past 12 years from former President Goodluck Jonathan administration to former president Mohammadu Buhari administration.”

Speaking further, Igboayaka said, “It’s unfortunate and unacceptable to create ministries or agencies according to the interest, needs or demands of one section of the country or a particular tribe instead for national interest.

“Creation of livestock ministry as championed by Miyetti Allah is a Fulani livestock agricultural project as a means to penetrate and grab lands that belong to other tribes for settlement in disguise of agricultural purpose.” 

He stressed that the people of the South-East “Will resist any form of cattle colony in Igbo land that serves the interest of Fulani herders, with its further target of land grabbing institutionalisation of Fulani community settlement in Igbo land will ultimately be resisted with the last pint of our blood” Comrade Igboayaka vowed.

“I urge other ethnic groups, the middle Belt who are majorly the target of Fulani herders ethnic cleansing and land grabbing to rise up and resist the implementation of the so-called livestock Reform.”