…implementation to gulp Nigeria N100 billion
The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo led National Economic Council (NEC) has voted for the implementation of the controversial RUGA settlement plan, Igbere TV reports.
The decision to continue with the controversial plan, our State House correspondent reports, was reached at the monthly NEC meeting which held today, in Abuja, as earlier reported by us.
Igbere TV had earlier reported that Osinbajo presided over the meeting which had the 36 state Governors, Ministers, SGF, CBN Governor, top government functionaries, others in attendance.
Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Chairman of the Farmers/Herders Clash sub-committee and Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, said that NEC proposed a budget of N100 billion for the implementation plan.
He said that the federal government would bear 80 per cent of the N100 billion, while participating states would support with the balance of N20 billion and land for the controversial programme.
Umahi explained that contrary to the widely held belief, the plan was not about cows alone but had three planks, including care for persons displaced by farmers/herders’ crisis and education programmes.
The Governor insisted that states were also free to use any animals of their choice, outside cattle, in implementing the controversial programme.
According to Umahi, the programme remained voluntary and would accommodate only states that expressed participation interest.
Though no date has been fixed for final take off of the programme, Umahi explained that the proposed N100 billion will still be reviewed in the next NEC meeting in October, next month.
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