Southern Groups Throw Weight Behind Ban On Open Grazing

The Coalition of Southern Groups (CSG), the apex umbrella body for all indigenous associations in the Southern Zone, has backed the decision of the Southern Governors to ban open grazing of cattle in the regions, describing the decision as way forward to tackle the rising insecurity challenges in the region.

The coalition also called on the Southern governors to build synergy with their northern counterparts in the implementation of the ban on open grazing.

The New Diplomat had reported that Southern Nigeria Governors Forum in a four-hour meeting which held in Asaba, Delta State on Tuesday resolved to stop open grazing of cattle across Southern Nigeria in a bid to stop the incursion of armed herders, criminals and bandits into the Southern part of the country.

Reacting to the development, the group commended the Governors for taking a bold step in tackling insecurity in the Southern region.

The Groups, however called on the Southern Governors to as a matter of urgency implement all the resolutions made during their meeting.

The Southern groups made this at the end of a two-day meeting which held in the 12th and 13th of May.

The groups also called on the Governors to ensure the inclusion of local security agencies in the Southern region in a bid to further strengthen the fight against insecurity.

According to the groups, there is  need for synergy among the various local security oriented and conscious groups and individuals such as Agbekoya, OPC, Amotekun,  F’olumo and other Eastern and South South security groups, with the Police, in the fight against insecurity. They also called for immediate mass recruitment exercise into the local security groups with huge financial supports in order to acquire best expertise, training and purchase more sophisticated armoury and logistic supplies.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the meeting and jointly signed by the President, Coalition of Southern Groups/Global President,Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide(Igbimo Apapo Yoruba Lagbaye), Asiwaju Oladotun Hassan, Esq; Secretary General, Coalition of Southern Groups/President General, Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike and Publicity Secretary, Coalition of Southern Groups/ Fmr. President, Ijaw Youth Council, Barr. Pereotubo Roland Oweilaemi.

The groups, in the communique also called on an “immediate workable plan of action to kick start Southern Nigeria(Southwest/Southeast and South- South) Agricultural Economic Development Zone Agency as a best alternative means to conspicuously occupy and take charge of all our forest reserves, abandoned bushes and creeks with different mass agriculture activities such as Animal husbandry,  piggery,  fisheries and mechanised farming; all within our forest  reserves currently used by the criminal herders across all the Southern States of Nigeria.”

Similarly, the groups called on the Southern Governors Forum to constitute a 21-man Committee which will be saddled with the responsibilities of coming up with a People’s constitution which will then be submitted to the Federal Government.

The Groups stated that the 1999 constitution has outlived its usefulness, hence the need for a new constitution which will serve the People’s interest.

“The Southern Governors Forum should immediately constitute a well concerted 21 Man Constitutional Draftsmen Committee (Including highly referred legal minds, erudite political and social class, youths and women respectively) that shall consider to dissect and reconstruct all areas of regional interest in the 1999 Constitution, that will then lead to general public opinion polls via a mega plebiscite and referendum  presentation for ratification of a new People’s  constitution before recommended by the Southern Governors to the FG,” the group stated.

The communique partly reads, “While we aligned with the aforementioned resolutions,  we wish to further implore the Governors to aggressively work on building stronger national alliances with their Northern counterparts, inorder to forge a common face for the ongoing emancipation struggle confronting the Nigeria nation.

“In view of the affirmed resolution by the Southern Governors Forum on 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; we hereby request the Governors to extend hands of solidarity to the Northern Governors Forum, all Senators, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assemblies to jointly build a bigger frontiers of unity on the premise of principles  of necessity and concentration of forces to implement all agreed resolutions with specific timeliness before the first quarter of (March) 2022 amongst others.

“On the second resolution, we wish inform beyond banning of open grazing in the land based on the  observed incursions by the armed herders, criminals and bandits into the Southern part of the country, other regions of the North and now in FCT has further presented a severe security challenge such that citizens are not able to live their normal lives including pursuing various productive activities leading to a threat to food supply and general security. Consequent upon this leading to the resolution that open grazing of cattle be banned across

Southern Nigería; hence, beyond banning of open grazing we advised that better alternative strategic plans be urgently put in place such as: Establishment of the National Joint Regional Security Networks Agency under a common regional structures ie: Southern Nigeria Joint Regional Security Networks Agency, while the North are hereby advised to key into this strategy inorder to provide adequate security synergy under the auspices of our various local security oriented and conscious groups and individuals such as Agbekoya, OPC, Amotekun,  F’olumo and other Eastern and South South security groups,  with adequate demand for immediate mass recruitment exercise and followed up with unprecedented huge financial supports to aquire best expertise, training and purchase more sophisticated armoury and logistic supplies and supports to fight the terrorists herders and other militating criminalities currently perpetrated within the zones.

“Based on this premise, note 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).

“It is most important to advise the Southern Governors Forum to independently organise their various State’s Conferences, wherein resolutions reached can be projected further at the regional level and central Southern Nigeria basis, while calling on their Northern Governors to do same, before calling on  the FG to convoke a National Dialogue, while before then resolutions reached at the last 2014 CONFAB can be subjected to review, ratification and recommended as a collective solution,  in view of the widespread agitations among our various peoples for greater inclusiveness in existing governance arrangements, hence we the Coalition of Southern Groups laconically doubt the sincerity and capacity of the FG to drive this noble agenda, because the present APC led Federal Government hing its  own campaign promises and strategy on Restructuring, National Security and Economic Revolution, but failed to implement such till date, however, we see this as a clarion call premised on moral duty to President Muhammadu Buhari led administration to decisively act on the aforementioned respectively,” the communique added.