No free land for grazing in Oyo, says Ajimobi

L-R: Director-General, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Dr. Nteranya Sanginga; Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; Regional Director (South-West), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Comfort Awe; and Head, Development Finance Office, Central Bank of Nigeria, Ibadan, Mr. Bamiji Akinola, during the second consultative assembly on Oyo State Agriculture Initiative, held at IITA, Ibadan… on Thursday. PHOTO: Oyo State Government.

Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has said that the proposed creation of grazing zones across the country is ill-advised, warning that the proposal is against the spirit of the Land Use Act and the overriding public interest.

The governor bared his mind on the raging controversy trailing the alleged sponsorship of a bill at the National Assembly for the creation of grazing zones for cattle across the country as a panacea to the perennial clash between trespassing herdsmen and farm owners.

Ajimobi who spoke yesterday during the launch of the ‘AgricOyo,’ the state agriculture initiative, held at Paago, Iseyin, in Oke Ogun zone of the state said, “This is the time to call a spade a spade. Those clamouring for creation of grazing zones across the country should have a rethink. It is against the Land Use Act; it is against the law of natural justice to seize people’s land to cater for someone’s cattles.

“Grazing zones could be created for those who are traditional cattle rearers in their areas. I’m not against that. But, you cannot come here and tell me you want to occupy our land for grazing zones. The land exists in our respective states and as such the rightful owners should decide what to do with them.