Following the heightening insecurity in the Southern part of Nigeria, governors of the zone at a meeting on Tuesday in Asaba banned open grazing of cattle as a way of reducing spate of attacks against the citizens.
In a communique which was signed by 17 governors after the meeting in Government House, Asaba, and obtained by CAPITAL POST, the leaders affirmed that the peoples of Southern Nigeria remain
committed to the unity of Nigeria on the basis of justice,
fairness, equity and oneness and peaceful co-existence
between and among its peoples with a focus on the attainment of shared goals for economíc development and prosperity.
They totally condemned the incursion of armed herders, criminals and bandits into the Southern part of the country, saying that the situation has presented a severe security challenge such that citizens are not able to live their normal lives.
The governors maintained that there would be food shortage in the country if nothing was done to arrest the insecurity challenge in the zone.
To restore normalcy, the governors said, open grazing of cattle be banned across Southern Nigería.
They noted that development and population growth has put pressure on available land and increased the prospects of conflict between migrating herders and local populations in the South.
“Given this scenario, it becomes imperative to enforce the ban on open grazing in the South including cattle movement to the South by foot.
They called on the Federal Government to support willing States to develop alternative and modern livestock management systems.
Governors further agreed that the progress of the nation requires that urgent and bold steps be taken to restructure the Nigerian Federation leading to the evolution of state police, review of revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national governments and creation of other institutions which legitimately advance our commitment to and practice of true federalism.
They called on the Federal government to convoke a national dialogue in order to discuss the issue of agitation by running an all inclusive government as a matter of urgency.
The communique added: “We recommended that in deference to the sensitivities of our various peoples, there is need to review appointments into Federal Government Agencies including Security Agencies to reflect federal character as Nigeria’s overall
population is heterogenous.
“It is resolved to foster cooperation among the Southern States and the nation at large.
“In this connection, Secretaries to the Governments of the Southern States are to work together to develop and institutionalize a mechanism to foster this cooperation which will advance the comparative economic advantages and other interests of the Southern
States.”
