No fewer than 17 southern governors made a resolution at a summit in Delta days ago, banning open grazing across the south, and demanding restructuring.
Northern politicians and Fulani nationalists have however objected to the resolution, saying grazing is not the problem in the southern region.
There might be no official figure to nail the magnitude of the crisis in the south, but it will be hard to deny it in daily media reports.
Below are the reasons the northern leaders and commentators give for rejecting the resolution by the 17 chief security officers of the southern Nigeria:
Southern governors decided on their region without inviting Fulani leaders. If vigilantes disarm, so will bandits—Prof Yusuf
Prof. Usman Yusuf, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) believes this is not acceptable. “Southern governors must provide land for bandits to graze their cattle if they want to ban open grazing,” he said on AIT after the summit. “Gathering in one hotel and giving a blanket ban is irresponsible. If vigilantes disarm, so will bandit”
Herders are not Nigeria’s problem—Kautal Hore chairman
The National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Alhassan Saleh, described the No Open Grazing resolution as an empty policy. “The governors are confused and mischievous, are herders the problem of this country? Are they IPOB killing people up and down, burning police stations?”
The resolution runs afoul of the 1999 constitution that guarantees free movement without harm—Cattle Rearers Association chairman
According to the National President of Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN), Khalil Mohammed Bello, the decision taken by the governors on open grazing was uncalled for. He also called on the 19 Northern Governors to provide an enabling environment for cattle breeders, while all the grazing reserves and cattle routes in the north should be retrieved from farmers.
Herders can’t carry their cattle on their heads and start running—Miyetti All chairman
Plateau State Chairman of Miyyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Nura Muhammad, more or less conceded. But he wondered how quick the southern governors want this No Open Grazing policy implemented. “They must give time. It is a compulsory thing to give them time. I am sure, they did not contact or consider the Fulani herders before taking their decision.”
The south is calling for Nigeria’s disintegration—Miyetti Allah chairman
The Bauchi State branch of Miyetti Allah Chairman Sadiq Ibrahim Ahmed said it’s a sign that we are heading to breaking up of Nigeria. “Fulani people should move out from there –it is very simple.”
Nobody can enforce his position on another Nigerian–Yakassai
Elder statesman and ACF leader Tanko Yakasai said the ban is not necessarily binding on the Federal Government except the constitution is amended. “Well, as for me, I want to believe there are provisions in the Constitution for whatever anybody wants. Why can’t we take the advantage of that position to either amend or change the Constitution to suit our desires?”
Famer-herder crisis is not south problem; problem confronting Nigeria is not grass—Chairman Sen. Committee on Army Ndume
Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume, noted that the Southern governors deviated from the issue by banning open grazing of cattle in all 17 states of the South. “We have four different types of security challenges,” he said, listing IPOB in the southeast, Avengers in south-south, Yoruba nation agitators in the southwest. He said farmer-herder crisis largely a middle-belt problem.