A prominent Yoruba leader, Prof Banji Akintoye, has urged South-West leaders to rally support for the governors in the region in their bid to stop the implementation of the Ruga settlement project by the Federal Government.
Akintoye said this on Tuesday at a summit on peacebuilding and conflict prevention in Lagos State organized by Journalists for Democratic Rights.
The former Head, Department of History at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife), said the Ruga project was aimed at giving land belonging to other ethnic groups to Fulani herdsmen.
He said he was aware that South-West governors were under pressure to provide land for cattle colonies before the FG suspended the implementation of the project.
However, he believed the governors would not yield to pressure to provide land for Ruga.
Akintoye said, “Certainly, our governors are our own men and they will not consent to having our land overrun by anyone.
“ Therefore, I humbly propose that we, leaders of the Yoruba nation, should come close to our governors and give them support for the purpose of giving them confidence and strength to reject Abuja’s demands.”
He also advised the governors to urgently promote the establishment of ranches in the region by Yoruba entrepreneurs.
According to the former lecturer, many people from other states come to Yorubaland because of the hospitality of the people and their religious tolerance.
The coordinator of Journalists for Democratic Rights, Wale Adeoye in his address, said the group would continue to train youths and ethnic associations in conflict prevention and resolution.
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