Open Grazing Ban: 11 Southern States Fail To Meet Deadline, 6 Comply

 

Only six Southern states have met the September 1 deadline for the passing of the Anti-open grazing law.

 

Eleven states are yet to comply with the deadline.

 

Apart from Abia, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti and Ebonyi states that have passed the law, others are either in the process or have not begun at all. In fact, five states – Anambra, Lagos, Imo, Edo and Cross River- have ignored the agreement while Rivers, Delta, Osun, Ondo, Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom and Enugu, are just in the process of complying.

 

It is expected that as from today, it would be unlawful for anybody or group of persons to graze farm animals openly throughout the southern region.

 

This development, coupled with the Federal Government’s recent statement that it had disbursed money running into billions of Naira to reactivate the moribund grazing routes totaling over 300 across the country have been generating varied reactions, particularly among the ethnic nationality groups. This is not unexpected as the announcement by the Federal Government has, by extension, ignored the open grazing ban in the south.

 

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has insisted that it would be implemented in the South East because the people do not have any free land for open grazing.

“In the South East, for instance, everywhere is tied to individuals, deities and even shines; so we don’t have any free land for open grazing. We have made our position clear and I want to believe that all the governors understood this very well,” the national publicity secretary, Alex Ogbonnia, stated.

 

He, however, stressed that in a situation where a governor in the zone disagrees with the group, as it is being alleged that the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has done, the group would chose the path of dialogue until he understands the implication of what he is doing.

 

 

He also likened Federal Government’s effort to reactivate the grazing routes to reenacting the slave routes.

 

On his part, President of the Middle Belt Form (MBF), Dr. Pogu Bitrus, expects that by today, machinery would have been put in place to enforce the ban and also make provision for ranching.

 

“So, the issue of grazing routes, to me, is dead on arrival. I am not bothered about that because it is only a state governor who wants to cede his authority and power to the Federal Government that can allow such to happen in his state,” he said.

 

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) reiterated that even as it was not against the ban, the problems associated with open grazing should be treated as a national challenge rather than resorting to threats and ultimatums. It also appealed to all stakeholders to remain calm.

 

Spokesman of the NEF, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, warned against the expiration of the deadline being used as an excuse to attack cattle herders or their livestock.

 

He said: “The NEF has made its position very clear. We are not against the stoppage of open grazing. Our position is that the problem can be solved and must be solved as a national problem and it should not involve the kind of threat or ultimatum that we see coming from leaders who should operate at a higher level of responsibility.”

 

But Afenifere fears that as desirable as the ban is, it might not be successfully enforced because of the lopsided nature of policing in Nigeria. It, therefore, suggested that the southern states use the regional security outfits to enforce the ban.

 

The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, said: “As desirable as the open grazing law by southern state governments is, the chances of its successful enforcement are slim because of the lopsided nature of the country’s policing system.”

 

He suggested that the southern states should establish special police units to enforce the ban.