Buhari dangles N250m each before 22 states
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Muhammadu Buhari failed by the deadline on December 19 to assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill crafted by lawmakers with direct party primaries and electronic transmission of election results to minimise rigging, thuggery, violence, and deaths.
That was the day he returned from his junket to Turkey with his wife, six ministers, and two other senior officials after four days of treating himself to his 79th birthday revelry. Buhari claimed he went to attend a Turkey-Africa Summit in Istanbul.
He jetted off on December 16 in the middle of massive protests by youths up North against his incompetence that escalates insecurity. Protesters in Abuja hoisted a loud and bold banner inscribed with: “Northern Nigeria Is Bleeding! Buhari Is Sleeping!”
Buhari is not concerned about election justice or about any other form of social justice.
But he is pressing on with his pet project to carve out enclaves for Fulani herders, his kinsmen, for whom he has voted at least N9.250 billion to create ranches across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
Abuja has just released another N1 billion seed grant to four states – Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, and Kaduna – to develop pilot ranches for Fulani herdsmen who often turn round to murder natives and take over their lands.
Meaning that each of the four states got N250 million. At that rate, the 22 states that have applied and are now listed for the scheme will get a total N5.5 billion.
When N250 million is multiplied by 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it comes to a grand total of N9.250 billion.
Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu had announced on Channels Television back in August that Ebonyi, Yobe, and Katsina States and the FCT received N24 billion for ranching from the federal government.
That meant N6 billion per state and the FCT. Multiplied by 36 states and the FCT, it translated into a total N222 billion. However, Ebonyi denied a few days later that it had received any money for ranching.
Shehu wrote in October in response to a story published by The Economist that the ranching programme has reduced insecurity in the past 12 months and urged more Governors to embrace the scheme.
The PUNCH reports that the new N1 billion was released after about 22 Governors showed interest in developing ranches in their states through the National Livestock Transformation Programme (NLTF).
Buhari’s Agriculture Assistant Andrew Kwasari, who coordinates the NLTP, had told The PUNCH in October that the federal government would soon start to disburse funds for the ranches.
He said Governors who had written to Abuja to get the money include those of Kaduna, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Plateau, Zamfara, Kano, Ondo, Katsina, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Gombe, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Ekiti, Kogi, Ebonyi, and Kwara.
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Related articles:
Buhari votes N72b for killer Fulani herdsmen. Northern IDPs scavenge for food in markets
Ebonyi, Yobe, Katsina share Buhari’s N24b for ranching
Umahi denies collecting Buhari’s N6b ranching scam
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Four states receive N1b
Kwasari disclosed in his latest response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request filed by The PUNCH that four more states have received N1 billion.
“We write in response to your request for the above information, sequel to our earlier engagement with your team. In our last interview, it was stated that the federal government would be releasing ranching support funds to Nasarawa and Plateau States, not Bauchi,” he said.
“And yes, according to the timeline given then, the fund was released on November 2, 2021. A sum of N1 billion was released as seed grant for the four states of Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, and Kaduna through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated.”
“This represents 80 per cent startup fund for a pilot model ranch to be constructed for the training of pastoralist and crop farmer households within the grazing reserve and the state is expected to fund 20 per cent of the pilot.”
Contribution by states
Kwasari explained that this percentage contribution is the major condition attached to the funding and other conditions include setting up a state NLTP Company.
“This is to facilitate the channelling of investments into the project. Of these funds, Nasarawa and Plateau States have accessed a sum of N232,000,000 and work has commenced at the project sites.
“As for the release of funds to the remaining states in Tiers 2 through 4, the degree of preparedness of the state teams is a major determinant for the initiation of funds release.
“PACE [Project for Agricultural Coordination and Planning] secretariat is working with the state teams to achieve required level of preparedness upon which the request for seed funding is based.”
Kwasari told The PUNCH in October that the first condition for participation in the NLTP is for a state to write to the federal government.
“I have the list of all the Governors who have written to participate in the NLTP. There are 22 Governors who wrote to express interest in the NLTP.
“That is the first condition in the NLTP document. This project is not just something that is done on paper. There are guidelines as approved by the National Economic Council.”
He said Abuja would support states in the scheme but they have to make their own contributions, adding that PACE is working with The Netherlands.A