THE Presidency has condemned the resolution by the Southern Governors Forum to ban open grazing.
In a statement, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu said on Monday that the president had taken steps aimed at finding a lasting solution to farmer-herder conflicts in the country long before the ban on open grazing.
He described the ban as “acts of politicking intended by its signatories to demonstrate their power.”
“It is very clear that there was no solution offered by their resolution to the herder-farmer clashes that have been continuing in our country for generations.
“It is equally true that their announcement is of questionable legality, given the Constitutional right of all Nigerians to enjoy the same rights and freedoms within every one of our 36 states (and FCT) –regardless of the state of their birth or residence,” he noted.
The statement announced that the Federal Government was making practical changes to provide for safe and peaceful co-existence between farmers and herders in communities across Nigeria, attributing the delay in action to the strain on public finances, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ICIR had reported the resolution by the southern governors in Nigeria to ban open grazing, which was reached in a meeting held at Asaba, Delta State, a few weeks ago.
The decision was made as an attempt to end banditry and insecurity in the region.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.