Ortom to Buhari: There’re no gazetted grazing routes in Benue

TRACKING___Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, again yesterday punctured another move by President Muhammadu Buhari to synergise with state governors to activate lost grazing routes as part of measures to curb frequent outbreak of violence between farmers and herders.

Governor Ortom pointedly told the President that; “There are no gazetted grazing routes in Benue” and any plot to carry out such a thing in the state will not work. The governor was re acting to the President’s directive to the Minister of Agriculture to work with various state governments to rediscover lost animal grazing routes and reserves across the country as part of measures to end farmers and herders’ clashes.

He spoke briefly with New Telegraph in an exclusive telephone chat through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Terver Akase. Governor Ortom said: “There are no gazetted grazing routes in Benue State, so if the President said he has asked the Minister of Agriculture to map out gazetted routes, then he was referring to other states and not Benue, because there are no such routes in Benue State so he was obviously not referring to Benue”.

Governor Ortom had insisted that ranching was the globally accepted modern practice for animal husbandry and the suggestion was not acceptable to people of the state. Meanwhile, Governor Ortom yesterday condoled with the families of those who lost their lives when a truck crushed a stationary vehicle with all its occupants at Gbatse in Ushongo Local Government Area of the state.

The governor also sympathised with the management, staff and students of University of Mkar, who lost two of their lecturers in the accident, Joseph Leva and Moses Tarnongo, who died along with his wife and three children. He described the incident as devastating and urged relevant agencies in the state to investigate the unfortunate development.