Southern governors ban open grazing, call for restructuring

Governors from Nigeria’s southern states have banned open grazing of cattle across states in the region and called for the restructuring of the country to address issues threatening national unity.

While also restating their commitment to the unity of the country, the governors urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address Nigerians on the state of the nation.

The governors stated these at the end of their meeting on Tuesday in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

Some of the governors in attendance were Nyesom Wike (Rivers), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Willie Obiano (Anambra), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), as well as Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

Some of the states and sub-regions had previously banned open grazing.

In February, the Nigerian Governors Forum, representing all 36 states in the country, said it had reached a consensus on the “need for the country to transition into modern systems of animal husbandry that will replace open, night, and underage grazing in the country.”

The ban on open grazing comes as the Nigerian government is yet to find a lasting solution to the herders’ crisis in different parts of the country.

Beyond the herdsmen crisis, the country continues to groan under diverse security threats of insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, and secessionist agitations in the South-East and South-West.