The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, Friday, explained reasons behind his recent decision to stop open grazing in the state.
He said it was to promote the state’s economy and protect lives and property.
Recall that the Benue State House of Assembly on Thursday passed the bill for the prohibition of open grazing and rearing of livestock into law.
They captioned the bill, “Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017.”
The governor spoke while playing host to the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, who were in the state with relief materials worth N7 million for the victims of the Fulani herdsmen in the State House, Makurdi.
Ortom vowed to make sure the bill is properly implemented when signed into law and called on security agencies to cooperate with the government and people of the state.
According to him, “What you see in that bill is a decision not just of the Governor, or the speaker or members of the Benue State House of Assembly, but the decision of Benue State because the bill was subjected to public hearing and the people were unanimous.
“Benue State has 23 local government areas. But 12 have been under siege by the Fulani herdsmen.
“Benue state was completely under siege for two years. It is not a crime that God gave us a green land and as we are known as the food basket of the nation , we are not going to farm in the air or on the sea, or any other place, it is on land.
“There is no way we can compete with grazing. It is impossible for grazing to go along side with farming. And for several years we have pleaded with the herdsmen to stop killing people, but they continued killing.
“Even before I became governor, the lasting solution to the constant clashes between farmers and herdsmen is ranching, that is what the bill passed at the National Assembly is saying.
“There is an increase in human activities, road networks, markets and other things, so it is unreasonable to think that grazing will continue in Nigeria.
“It is amazing that when you go to the nation’s capital, cattle were freely interfering with traffic in Abuja. I think it is high time they rare their cattle in a civilised way.”
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