There is an uproar ongoing in Uzo-Uwani LGA of Enugu State concerning an alleged planned RANCH/RUGA settlement to be embarked upon by the administration of Enugu State.
I read somewhere where Enugu Government has dismissed such rumors of RUGA settlement insisting that the planned move is intended only for ranching purposes.
No matter the best intentions of government, once the people a project is directly affected are not part of decision making at any stage, resistance is inevitable.
Effective communication and stakeholders engagement is pivotal for any government development that affects and requires the cooperation of the people more so in a situation that government does not curry the trust of the people.
The massacre by marauding Fulani herdsmen in Nimbo Town in Uzo-Uwani LGA last year is still fresh in our minds. The security situation in that local government is still abetting much more when the town boarders Kogi State. Implementing a RUGA/Ranching policy now in Uzo-Uwani is not a good strategy.
I employ Governor Mba’s administration to temporarily suspend this project and engage the people of Uzo-Uwani with a view of finding a lasting solution to the criminal activities of cattle herders who have killed their men, women & children and devastated their farmlands.
Elections have consequences!
ENUGU SHALL BE GREAT AGAIN!
Dr John Nwokeabia
