Lalong had told State House correspondents yesterday that
the Ruga settlement was Jonathan's initiative.
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The former President berated the government of President
Muhammadu Buhari, adding that Nigerians were used to its blame games.
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In a statement through his media office to DAILY POST on
Tuesday, signed by Reno Omokri, Jonathan asked the Governor to leave him out of
the controversies surrounding President Muhammadu Buhari's move to settle
Fulani herdsmen in all the States of the federation.
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The statement added, "Our attention has been drawn to
comments by the Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Solomon Lalong, in which he
claims that the RUGA settlements currently being implemented nationwide for
herdsmen by the Buhari regime are a Jonathan administration initiative and that
former President Goodluck Jonathan should be blamed for the crisis occasioned
by herdsmen which have risen to a head in recent times.
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"Mr. Lalong, after meeting with General Muhammadu Buhari on
Monday, July 1, 2019, then went on to say 'If he (Dr. Jonathan) had done that
(RUGA) at that time, we would not be fighting insecurity between herders and
farmers today.'
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"Nigerians are used to the Buhari administration and its
privies blaming all their challenges on the Jonathan administration and this
latest act of dereliction of duty is therefore not surprising.
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"Obviously, the Buhari regime is unaware that they have
become a laughing stock in the international community, as evidenced by the
total absence of any worthy representation at their recent events because the
world knows that you are not a failure until you start blaming others for your
mistakes.
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"For the avoidance of doubt, the so-called RUGA herdsmen
settlements being planned nationwide is not an initiative of the Jonathan
administration. We did not conceive or budget for it and we know and want
nothing to do with it.
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"What the Jonathan administration initiated was a ?100
billion agricultural LOAN to be disbursed by the Central Bank of Nigeria for
states in Northern Nigeria, who wished to build cattle ranches for modern
processing of beef which would then be transported nationwide as beef, rather
than cattle rearing.
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"RUGA, on the other hand, is not a loan, but a government
intervention with PUBLIC funds in a purely PRIVATE business, with the attendant
acquisition of PUBLIC land to be used for such PRIVATE business in perpetuity.
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"We also ask Nigerians to witness that even Professor Yemi
Osinbajo has washed his hands off the scheme in a statement he released four
days ago.
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"It will be recalled that on Friday, June 28, 2019, Pastor
Osinbajo released a statement saying inter alia 'Contrary to claims reported in
sections of the media, the establishment of Ruga settlements is not being
supervised by the Office of the Vice President.'
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"After being rejected and denied by the deputy in their own
administration, we can, therefore, understand their desperation to look for a
scapegoat. However, much as we sympathised with them in their panic, that
scapegoat will not be President Jonathan.
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"For the avoidance of doubt, let me state that the Jonathan
administration was able to relatively manage the herdsmen crisis because we
implemented the principle of crime and punishment.
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"Whenever there was a crime committed by errant herdsmen,
the then government put machinery in motion to arrest, try and punish the
perpetrators of such crimes.
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"Also, then President Jonathan did not show, either by
action or by words, any partiality for either side in such clashes.
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"But most importantly, that administration had an ethnic
balance in the nation's military, police and paramilitary forces in keeping
with the constitutional principle of federal character. That balance ensured
that there was objectivity in dealing with issues involving insecurity in the
country.
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"Whether there is such balance today is left for Nigerians
to judge.
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"In conclusion, I will appeal to Governor Simon Lalong to
face god RUGA and leave Dr. Goodluck Jonathan out of it.ÔÇØ (DP)
