The Yoruba Youth Council (YYC) Worldwide has rejected the federal government’s planned Ruga settlements in the South-west.
According to a statement by Benson Akinwumi, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of YYC, the Ruga settlement initiative was a subtle attempt to colonize the Yoruba people under the guise of promoting cattle rearing.
Mr. Akinwumi who issued the statement to journalists in Akure, the Ondo state capital, warned that the move would only aggravate the herders-farmers’ crisis in the country instead of solving it.
He said, “As much as we are trying to contain and supress all the pressures, calls and outcry from youths within and outside the nation, we still want to make our stand known to the general public, and the federal government of Nigeria with no diplomacy that we don’t want Ruga.
“The Yoruba Youth Council as a body of all youths in Yoruba land are saying No to RUGA. We don’t want it and we will never allow it. We know the evil-ones who behind the veil are trying to force this evil policy as against the wish of the masses. The other time it was cattle colony, then they decided to withdraw all gun licences which are basically for self-defence and now it is Ruga.
“Is Buhari in office to serve the interest of cows? With all the major challenges facing the country at a time like this, is Ruga the answer or the next thing? Why should they always be coming up with policies that will only benefit the fulanis? Is any other tribe in any way inferior to them?
“They are not superior in anyway and I think it is time to make them realise it. We can’t afford a repeat of what has happened in the past. Not now, not even close, not forever. Not now that the entire nation is at the mercy of Fulani herdsmen, not now that our youths are unemployed, not now that we cannot effectively implements a token of N30,000 as minimum wage, not for the Fulani that even President Buhari admittedly confirmed that most of them are not Nigerians.
“The government needs no town crier to proclaim a war. They only need to enforce a policy against the wish of the poor masses and fire will burn.
“If the people behind this evil plot do not rescind their decision and are still trying to enforce it as against the wish of the masses, let them be fully aware that we will not hesitate to mobilize all the progressive youths across all lands for a protest that all the combined Armed Forces in Nigeria cannot stop,” he said.
The deputy spokesman of YYC further warned governors in the South-west not to agree to the policy nor give out lands for the projects.
He stated, “We are determined to stone to death and burn to ashes any south-west governor that agree with this policy and give out our land.”
