President Muhammadu Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari reacts to open grazing ban by southern governors in southern Nigeria.
According to the statement, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said the governors did not provide any solution to confusion and trouble between the farmers and herders in the country. “It is clear that the governors did not offer any solution to the herder-farmer clashes in our country in general,” said Garba Shehu. “But citizens of the Southern States – indeed citizens of all States in Nigeria – has the right to expect their elected leaders and representatives to find answers to challenges of governance and rights, not to show that they do not want to be involved in the issue and will say: “not in my State”. Shehu added.
What is open grazing ban all about? State governors in the Southern part of Nigeria had a meeting at Asaba the Delta State capital on May 11. At the meeting the governors agreed to ban open grazing and movement of cattle by foot in the region. Their decision was to shake off the alleged killings by herders and the destruction of farm lands. The Southern governors also called for restructuring of the country, devolution of powers, and state policing among others as well as asked President Buhari to convene national dialogue to address the agitations by various groups of the region.
What did the Presidency said about this? Reacting to the series of calls the governors made, Shehu said his principal has approved some specific measures to bring a permanent end to the frequent crisis the Minister of Agriculture, Sabo Nanono, recommended in the report submitted. He said that President Buhari signed off the report in April, he accused the Southern governors of acts of politicking with the intention to demonstrate their power by banning open grazing for their various states. According to Shehu, the ban on open grazing is questionable legally, in the sense that the constitutional right of all Nigerians is to enjoy the same rights and freedoms regardless of the State of their birth or where they live.
(Img source: Delta State Government House)
