Open grazing ban won’t work —Zulum

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, says the prohibition of herders from grazing openly in some states in the country won’t work until the insecurity situation as well as the socio-political and economic dimensions of the crisis is addressed.

He spoke on Wednesday morning during ‘Sunrise Daily’ breakfast show on Channels Television monitored by The PUNCH.

Many states in Nigeria including the 17 Southern states had banned open grazing in their region, to curb cases of rape, killing and kidnapping traced to some unscrupulous and furtive elements who masquerade as herdsmen. Despite stiff opposition and criticisms by many northern bigwigs, Southern governors met on Monday and set September 1, 2021 for the promulgation of the anti-open grazing law in their states.

But speaking on the television programme, the Borno State Governor said the socio-political and economic dimensions of the insecurity in the country as well as the insurgency war in the North-East which he said is fast spreading to other parts of the country must first be addressed.

The governor said, “We have to address the socio-political and economic dimensions of this crisis which is very important because there is increasing poverty in the sub-region; that is something that will trigger insurgency.

“There is increasing food insecurity in the sub-region because food insecurity is the worst form of insecurity and that is why the Borno State Government has been advocating for farming in the last two years. Farmers should be allowed to go to their farm lands.

“The Nigerian military should create the enabling environment for farmers to go to their farmlands so that they can cultivate their lands. It is no longer sustainable for our internally displaced persons living in IDP camps and host communities to receive food and non-food items from donor partners. People must earn their livelihood if we want this insurgency to come to an end.” Punch