Open grazing: Buhari, southern state governors on collision course

 

The stage appears set for a clash between President Muhammadu Buhari and governors of the southern states with support from some northern state governors over the decision of the President to recover grazing routes for cattle as a means to end continued herder/farmer crises.

Only on Thursday, the President in an interview with Arise TV announced that he had given approval to the return of open grazing as was practised during the First Republic where herdsmen used designated grazing routes to move cattle to several parts of the country.

But the governors, after banning open grazing of cattle in their states, say there is no going back on the decision, just as some of them vowed not to make land available for ranching.

The Forum of Southern Governors in one voice, after a meeting in Asaba, Delta State, announced the grazing ban in all the 17 southern states.

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

Fielding questions in the 44-minute interview, the President, in apparent response to the ban on open cattle grazing by the 17 southern governors, said when the governors gave the directive that open grazing would be banned, he referred them to the gazette that made provisions for cattle routes and open grazing areas.

He said, “What I told the governors was to ask them to go and dig up the gazette. There are certain routes and grazing areas so that when cattle rearers were moving from the north to the west, they were allowed to go through there. But if you allow your cattle to stray into any farmer’s farm, you are arrested and the farmer is invited to submit his claims.

“Those who encroach on these cattle routes and grazing areas would be dispossessed. The problem is trying to understand the culture of the cattle rearers. The Governor of Benue said I am not disciplining the cattle rearers because I am one of them and I told him that the Nigerian cattle rearer doesn’t carry anything more than a stick or a machete. But I can tell you that we are trying to resuscitate these cattle routes and grazing areas.”

Already, the President said he had asked the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to begin the process of recovering land from persons who have converted cattle grazing routes for their personal use .

The AGF had kicked against the declaration by 17 southern governors to ban open grazing, noting that it is like northern governors banning spare parts trading.

Buhari during the interview advised state governors to rise up to the security challenges facing their states, recalling how he sent back two southern governors to his state after submitting reports of violence.

“These governors campaigned and won elections, they should be able to sort out issues arising in their localities, not running to the presidency. You know these people more than I do, and you are democratically elected to protect your people. Don’t sit idly expecting me to do everything, take action,” the President said.