By 
Abiodun OBA
Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has described the Anti-Open Grazing Bill, as insensitive and a deliberate invitation to war in the country. as agreed at a meeting of the Southern Governors Forum earlier in the year.
The governor disclosed this while speaking to journalists at his office on Friday in Calabar, the state capital, expressing that herders are his brothers from the North and their source of livelihood should not be taken from them.
Ayade said, “How would you as a nation legislate to illegitimacy, a legitimate trade of a people, the nomadic herdsmen? You cannot by law make illegitimate a legitimate trade of a people?” Ayade questioned.
“You have a responsibility as an educated person. We sit in the office and that’s why even though certain governors have made it clear that governors must pass the anti-open grazing law, I have not, because I’ve found a solution to it.
“My herdsmen brothers of north or south extraction, to shut down their trades, stay confined in a place whether they have a pasture or not, it doesn’t matter to me.
“So, if I have a brother from Yobe State in a semi-arid condition with no grass and having no money to do irrigation to sustain his pasture, will I make his business illegitimate, shut him down and close him from survival?
“That is insensitive. What I think is anarchy, a deliberate invitation to war. That is inviting the nation into war.
“I ask myself if indeed open grazing is coming with this consequence? The sociology and anthropology are unacceptable and we must find a way to create means and balance between the herders and the farmers. That’s the essence of being a leader.”
He further stated that his government would come up with an Open Grazing Management Law which is a solution to the current farmer-herdsmen situation.
“So before I pass the law, I decided to pull back and find a solution. That is why in Cross River, we’re coming with an Open Grazing Management Law.
“I think morally, ethnically, it is unacceptable to prohibit a trade that existed before I was born. I’ll rather find a way to modulate it so that it will meet the definition of modern animal farming or husbandry. I think because it’s a profession, a business, it’s also a fundamental right of people to do the business,” he said.
Cat: news
Yobe pledges support for victims of Gulani farm fire disaster
The Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni has commiserated with the people of Gulani Community and its environs over the recent fire disaster that consumed their farmlands.
The Governor who was represented by the Commissioner of Transport and Energy, Abdullahi Usman Kukuwa, said the Governor was shocked and concerned over the incident and pledged support for the victims accordingly.
Responding, the Chairman Sanitation Committee of Gulani Local Government Area, Babayo A. Jalo who spoke on behalf of the victims thanked the Governor for the concern, stressing that the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has already sent a delegation to the scene to assess the affected farmers.
However, the Gulani Area Development Association (GADA) was part of Governor Buni’s delegation on the mourning visit.
Speaking at the place, they also thanked the Chairman of Gulani Local Government Area, Daiyabu Ilu Njibulwa for relocating Tetteba Grains Market outside the main market square as earlier requested by the association.
The places visited include; Gulani, Tetteba and Garintuwo Communities of the state.
Cat:news
Sylvester Oromoni: Delta supports Lagos State Government’s decision
’ll pursue case to the end
Delta State government has declared full support for Lagos State Government’s decision to launch an investigation into the death of Sylvester Oromoni, a 12-year-old student of Dowen College who hails from Warri South LGA in the state.
This was contained in a statement on Saturday where the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa said he spoke with the father of the deceased and is determined to pursue the case to the end.
“Last night, I spoke to Mr Sylvester Oromoni, the father of late Sylvester Oromoni Jr., the Dowen College student who unfortunately died under very controversial and unclear circumstances.
“During the call, I expressed my agreement with the decision of the Lagos State Government to launch an investigation into the death of Sylvester, a native of Warri South LGA in Delta State.
“As a government that places priority on the lives of our citizens within and outside the state, we are determined to pursue this case to the end.
“The matter must be investigated, perpetrators apprehended, punished, and made an example to serve as a very strong deterrence against future occurrences,” Governor Okowa said in the statement.
Okowa also condoled with the family of the deceased over the passing of their son.
Comments