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Tag: Open Grazing

  • Open Grazing: Falana Commends Southern Governors, Urge Them To Walk the Talk

    Open Grazing: Falana Commends Southern Governors, Urge Them To Walk the Talk

    Human rights lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has commended the southern governors for banning open grazing in the 17 southern states of the country.

    Falana, who spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, asked the governors to back their ban on open grazing with a legal instrument to enable the prosecution of offenders.

    He also asked the governors to ensure state attorneys general come together and put in machinery for translating the resolutions into laws.

    “I have read the resolutions and for me, the governors have done very well. They need to mobilise their northern colleagues, they need to walk their talk because if you expect that the presidency will act on this resolution, the governors may be wasting their precious time,” he said.

    “Each of the governors will have to make enabling laws to translate the decision in the communiqué to legal instruments.”

    The popular lawyer also reacted to the governors’ demand for restructuring of the country, coupled with the issue of control of resources.

    He said their resolution was timely, especially as it relates to their quest for fiscal federalism in the country.

    Falana added, “For the entire country, these resolutions will be very useful; they have come at the right time, not too late, the governors have now formally joined the campaign for restructuring.”

    His comments come 24 hours after the regional governors converged at the Delta State Government House in Asaba to hold talks on the state of the nation.

    After the meeting on Tuesday, the regional governors announced a ban on open grazing in all the 17 Southern states.

    They also recommended that the Federal Government should support willing states to develop alternative and modern livestock management systems.

    They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency and importance, address Nigerians on the frightening state of insecurity across the nation and convoke a national dialogue.

    The meeting followed the worsening insecurity in the country ranging from terrorism to banditry, militancy and calls for secession.

  • Southern Governors Ban Open Grazing, Seek Restructuring, Ask Buhari To Address Nigerians

    Southern Governors Ban Open Grazing, Seek Restructuring, Ask Buhari To Address Nigerians

    Southern Governors have banned open grazing of cattle across states in the region and urged the President to address Nigerians on the state of the nation.

    The Governors also called for the restructuring of the country to address increasing agitations in different parts of the nation, while restating their commitment to the unity of the country.

    The Governors stated these at the end of their meeting in Asaba, the Delta State Capital, on Tuesday.

    Physically in attendance were the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; Rivers State Governor, Nysome Wike; Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi; Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun; Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano; Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; among others.

    They were received by the host, Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

    Some of the states and sub-regions have previously banned open grazing.

    In February, the Nigerian Governors Forum, representing all 36 states in the country, said it had reached a consensus on the “need for the country to transition into modern systems of animal husbandry that will replace open, night, and underage grazing in the country.”

    The ban on open grazing comes as herdsmen violence continues to be reported across the country.

    Beyond the herdsmen crisis, the country continues to groan under diverse security threats, including but not limited to an insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and secessionist agitations in the South-East and South-West.

  • Benue Assembly Pledges to back Enforcement of Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law

    Benue Assembly Pledges to back Enforcement of Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law

    By Isaac Kertyo, Makurdi 

    Benue State House of Assembly has said it would continue to back the enforcement of the  Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of the state.

    The House of Assembly while condemning the recent attack on Governor Samuel Ortom by Militia Herders at his farm, maintained that the Governor has remained committed in defense of the Benue people’s right to leave and farm freely on their farms. 

    A statement by the Chairman House Standing Committee on  Information and Orientation, Mr Tertsea Gbgise for the Benue House of Assembly lamented the dangerous dimension in the security challenge occasioned by herders with the intention to take over Benue valley and other parts of the nation.

    The house urged the Governor not to be distracted by the scare tactics of the Herdsmen. It lauded Ortom over his refusal to be intimidated by the attackers and their co-conspirators, imploring Nigerians to see the Governor as a hero rather than being attacked by armed Militiaman. 

    The Assembly enjoined the citizens to consider the attached on the Governor as an eye opener, stating that all hands must be on deck to fight insecurity in Nigeria.

    It implored security agents to redouble efforts to fish out the bandits and bring them to justice, stressing that the current security situation in the country is capable of throwing the nation into chaos if not checked.

  • Plateau Exco Approves Livestock Transformation Bill; Moves To Commence Ranching, End Open Grazing

    Plateau Exco Approves Livestock Transformation Bill; Moves To Commence Ranching, End Open Grazing

    Plateau State Government is set to domesticate the National Livestock Transformation Programme by approving a bill for the establishment of the Plateau State Livestock Transformation which when passed into law, will promote livestock business anchored on ranching.

    The State Executive Council at its weekly meeting approved the transmission of the bill to the Plateau State House of Assembly for consideration by the legislature.

    Briefing journalists after the EXCO meeting, Commissioner for Information and Communication Dan Manjang said the bill is to facilitate smooth transition from open grazing to ranching.

    Manjang said the State has been working assiduously to put in place all necessary requirements for the take off of the model ranching programme at the Wase and Kanam Reserves which are wholly owned by the State Government.

    He assured that once the programme takes off and alternatives are provided, people will no longer be allowed to move around with livestock in the State. Already, local and international investors have shown interest in putting their money in the pilot phase of the livestock transformation program.

    Secretary of the State Livestock Implementation Committee Prof. John Wade said the programme has zero land grabbing as nobody’s land will be appropriated for ranching. The Government he said will put into use its gazette reserves in Wase and Kanam for the take off and thereafter, anyone who wants to go into ranching will follow the guidelines provided by the law.

    He said the State is approaching ranching strictly as a business hence the directive by the Governor for robust sensitization to enable more citizens key into modern livestock business. He said the notion that one ethnic group has a monopoly of the business is incorrect and such must be discountenanced in the new development.

    Wade said the ranching policy will also accommodate other species of livestock aside from cows to bring in more diversification of the agriculture sector.

    Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General Chrysanthus Ahmadu explained that the proposed law takes care of herders, farmers and other interests in the livestock value chain. He said in ranching, there will be dairy and beef production, fodder production, marketing and associated businesses that will employ many.

    He said it will also go along way in ending destruction of farmlands by livestock, clashes between farmers and herders and unnecessary violence that is rooted in the unsavoury relationship between them.

    The people of Plateau State have therefore been reassured that no land will be grabbed by anyone as there is already an anti-land grabbing law signed by the Governor which prescribes stiff penalties for violators.

     

  • Northern Governors abrogates open grazing 

    Northern Governors abrogates open grazing 

    … Say’s it’s no longer sustainable
    By Gabriel Udeh, Kaduna
    Northern States Governors, Traditional Rulers and Security Chiefs on Thursday met in Kaduna to discuss the alarming rise in security threats and other socioeconomic problems in the region.
    During his opening address, the governor of plateau state and chairman of the 19 northern states  Governors,  Simon Lalong said open grazing of cattle can no longer be sustained for obvious reasons..
    The meeting which took place at the Kaduna state government house came barely two weeks after governors of the Northwest zone held a similar meeting with the service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser to discuss ways to address the issue of banditry and kidnapping bedeviling the zone.
    Among the governors attended meeting were those of Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kano, Katsina, Plateau, as well as the deputy Governors of Bauchi, Kogi, Zamfara, Benue, and Niger states.
    Also in attendance was the Chief of Staff to the president, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, the Inspector General of Police, the Minister of Information and Culture, and the Director-General State Security Services.
    Others are traditional Rulers led by the sultan of Sokoto and representatives of the Northern Elders Forum.
    In their opening remarks, the host Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the Chairman of the forum, Simon Lalong said the meeting is long overdue and crucial for the progress of the north and the country in general.
    While El-Rufai urges his colleagues to adopt strategies to forestall all forms of security challenges in the north, Governor Lalong regrets the attacks and killings menacing the region, noting that it is the responsibility of governors and other leaders to find lasting solutions to the problem.
    He also described the recent kidnap of school children in Government Science Secondary School Kagara, Niger State as well as travelling passengers as a wake-up call for leaders and also as a sad reminder of the difficult situation the north is facing.
    On the issue of herder-farmer clashes which has in recent weeks generated serious concerns because of the harsh rhetoric from various parts of the country, Lalong agreed that open grazing is no longer sustainable for obvious reasons, hence, he also said that the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) also keyed into the National Livestock Transformation Programme (NLTP) as a veritable option that will go a long way in ending the clashes through organised ranching.
    The northern governors also appealed to their colleagues in other parts of the country and all citizens particularly opinion leaders to be cautious in their utterances and actions, warning that such unguided utterances could provide the oxygen for the exploitation of the nation’s fault lines to the detriment of the entire country.
    During the meeting, the leaders were expected to take a hard and critical look at the conflicts and come up with implementable ways and means of addressing them squarely.
  • South-West Govs Reject Open Grazing, Agrees to manage State Forests

    South-West Govs Reject Open Grazing, Agrees to manage State Forests

    Southwest governors have agreed that every state must manage its forest but remodel it to allow for feed mills and designated grazing areas.

    According to them, this is in accordance with what the national economic concluded earlier in the week.

    They totally opposed open grazing, saying that the region borders are too porous, thereby giving foreign fulani herdsmen access into the states.

    The decisions were reached at the end of the Security meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State capital and attended by the five out of the six State governors in the region.

    They appealed to the media to do more in curbing the spread of fake news, which they identified as the major cause of insecurity in the country.

    The meeting was also attended by some traditional rulers including Alaafin of Oyo, Ooni of Ife, Akarigbo of Remo land, Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Olugbon of Orile Igbon and Olubadan of Ibadan.

  • Gov Ortom Urges FG to enforce Prohibition of Open Grazing Laws passed by States

    Gov Ortom Urges FG to enforce Prohibition of Open Grazing Laws passed by States

    By Isaac Kertyo, Makurdi

    Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct security agents to enforce Prohibition of Open Grazing Laws passed by various States of the federation.

    The Governor who made the call in a letter to the President on the state of the nation contended that as a major stakeholder in the Nigerian project he has the responsibility to raise concern and make recommendations.

    Ortom implored President Buhari to as a matter of urgency abolish open Visa policy and direct security agents to ensure full compliance with the ECOWAS protocols on transhumant.

    He enjoined the Federal Government to pay compensation to the families killed and those whose properties were destroyed by Herdsmen in various communities across the country.

    The Governor called on the President to arrest and persecute the leadership of miyetti Allah and other Fulani socio-cultural groups that have consistently admitted wanton killings and destruction of communities across the country.