By; Victor Duruamaku, Owerri
As a long term solution, to the prevailing problem between herdsmen and farmers in the country, Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Anayo Okorocha said he preferred the establishment of “ranches all over the federation, than grazing fields”.
Giving the account of his stewardship in the last five years of his administration, Governor Okorocha, believed that giving the nature of the country and its citizenry, the federal government should establish ranches instead of grazing fields to solve the problem once and for all of the menacing problem of Fulani herdsmen in the country.
He noted that a lot of lives, and property have been lost so far in recent times following the incessant clashes between the Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the affected areas.
The Governor, who spoke to journalists in Owerri, over the weekend, further believed that ranches if established, would make for a better livestock rearing and help curb the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the various communities of the country.
He however used the occasion to outline the achievements of his administration in the last five years, saying that the administration has recorded over one million physical projects including road networks.
In order to allow the people of the state to appraise his administration, the governor ordered that 13 groups of media practitioners be set up to appraise the performance of his commissioners, SAs and EAs, pointing out that the best commissioner gets a jeep vehicle, while the ministry gets the sum of N20 million as star award.
He explained that so far, his administration has constructed 305 new 12-classroom blocks in the 305 wards of the state, established a new science and technology university, Marine University, a school of health technology and a new college of education (technical) in the state.
On the current strike action embarked upon by the Imo state University (IMSU) Owerri branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) the governor said, he may concession the running of the university and then recruit fresh lecturers if the ASUU continues on the strike action.
He urged the lecturers to go back to classes as their demands were being look into.
It would be recalled that the lecturers few months ago embarked on strike to protest against the government decision to pay them only 70 per cent of their monthly salaries.
