Yahaya Bello, the governor of Kogi State, has disclosed that the state will soon be the ‘Holland of Nigeria’ in terms of dairy milk production and other livestock products for other states to patronize.
He disclosed this while giving reasons why he accepted the cattle colonies policy proposed by the federal government, through the minister of agriculture, Audu Ogbe.
The federal government proposed to establish cattle colonies in every state of the country, in a bid to put an end to farmers and cattle herders clash.
Bello said this at the Kogi State Agriculture Summit, tagged: “Moving Agriculture To The Next Level”, on Friday, January 26, 2018 in Lokoja.
“In Holland, everyone knows that Holland produce more than a quarter of dairy milk and meats for Europe and America,” Governor Bello was quoted as saying.
“They will also buy meat, hides and skin, bones, horns and even cow faeces for manure, which will translate into cash for our people.
“If you have a parcel of land that you are not using, what will happen is that the pastoralists will come and you rent it to them for money.
“Our youths and women will learn how to breed and keep these cows as well.
“And what will happen is that we shall have hire cross breed cows that will produce more milk and high quality meats where other states can come and buy.
“They said I am friend to Fulani herdsmen and hate farmers, but they are all falsehood on the pages of newspapers and television.
“We are telling the people that we are tolerant in Kogi, we love our neighbours and seizing and maximising the best of every opportunity.
“Very soon we will tell our Fulani brothers not to take their cows across border to sell again.
“We will ask them to drop their cows in Kogi, and we will rent your land to them to stay.
“A land where people can come and buy, pay tax to government and they will settle the land owners.
“This is the way we are going to go; in the next six months we shall begin to see the economy of Kogi transforming very rapidly.
“The Federal Government and international agencies are bringing money, grants to Kogi to support livestock production, including keeping these cows in form of ranches in one particular area with facilities called ‘cattle colonies.
“Why can’t we tolerate our Fulani bothers and sisters who have lived with us for a very long time? And you want them to leave now to go where?
“We have to be tolerant, we have to tolerate one another, it is out of tolerance that we gathered here today.
“Hold on to your land, we will teach you how to use it judiciously to make huge money in the state; our land is our oil wells that can never dry”.
