Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, says some army officers have been sent to Argentina to learn cattle rearing.
Speaking at the launch of Mogadishu cantonment mammy market in Abuja on Tuesday, Buratai, who was represented by Patrick Akem, chief of army logistics, said the army would set up cattle ranches in all its divisions.
A statement issued by PRNigeria quoted Buratai as saying that in keeping with modern cattle-rearing tradition, he sent “officers of the army to Argentina to look at how cattle are reared”.
“Argentina has a population of 41 million people, but it feeds about 400 million people around the world with its beef,” he said.
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“To take it to the next level, we want to adopt a system where the cattle are not just free ranging coming from Sokoto to Port Harcourt, thereby making their meat tough to eat; the products will soon be coming from our own farms and ranches.”
He said he created the Barrack Investment Initiative as a platform to give families of staff the opportunity to create fishing ponds, fruit and vegetable gardens, keep livestock, and poultry.
According to Buratai, the intention of the army is not only to secure the country but also to contribute in growing the economy.
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“We want to tell our wives that they can live beyond the salaries of their husbands, so we are trying to empower the women in the barracks to be able to form co-operatives, so as to access loans and to a large extent be able to fend for themselves and their families, even without the salaries of their husbands,” he added.
4 comments
Am beginning to believe that this administration is a punishment from God. To imagine that all they have occupied themselves with since May 2015 is how to make life more comfortable for fulani heardsmen. From the Minister of Agriculture to the Minister of Interior and now Chief of Army Staff. What exactly is wrong with this country? How did we descend this low? Who did we offend? Nobody is talking about the number of lives wasted by these killer heardsmen, from Southern Kaduna to Agatu in Benue state. From Nimbo in Enugu to Ogwashi Ukwu in Delta state. It’s been tears and sorrow, yet there’s a government in place. I weep for this country.
Martins, you should not be surprised. Since the advent of this administration, Nigerian security forces- DSS, Civil Defence, Army, Police et al, have devoted time and huge resources to recovering rustled cows, sheep and goats as if this was their primary constitutional responsibilities. Animal husbandry, which ordinarily is a private business now promoted to a national enterprise to be protected with the Federal might and resources.The heads of almost Nigeria’s security agencies is skewed in favour of the north and all these people are cattle owners. Which is why phrases like is cattle herding, cattle rearing and cattle are brought into our consciousness on a daily basis. It must however be said that what is playing out is nepotism, which is a form of corruption.
Is this supposed to be the Nigerian army or the army of the Fulani herdsmen?. So much for one Nigeria
When have the duty of the army has turn to cattle rearing? This is slow match and incessant calculated attempt to takeover our land by force and import fulani terrorist militia in our land in the name of cow rearing. The northern oligarchy are using the nation military to enforce their pland to steal other people land.